Not Meant to Love
by Li loverz
Summary: Syaoran's in need of a diversion. His means of achieving it? A beautiful, innocent civilian. Will Sakura's stubbornness end up blowing their cover? Will Syaoran's cockiness kill them both? Or will their desire cloud their judgment instead?
1. Default Chapter

**Hey you guys! This is a new fic of mine that I've made and I hope that It's of your approval. I think that you'll really like this one and I hope to get a lot of your reviews. So please, feel free to criticize and give me your opinions. **

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Chapter 1

A Phone Call: Normal Pov:

"Hmph... ugn..." It was close to seven o'clock in the morning and a very striking young man was practicing his sword fighting skills in his backyard. He was wearing nothing but jeans, showing off his muscular male body as he jumped from one spot to another, taking his shiny steel-plated sword with him. He looked nothing more then twenty years of age, and was no doubt a killer among the women.

Nothing but trees and a blue sky surrounded him, with the exception of the birds happily chirping in the distance. The sun gleamed on his firmly toned chest and a thin line of perspiration coated his arms and entire upper torso as he swung his sword in every direction, huffing and puffing, his thick chocolate brown hair sticking to his forehead. He then stopped for a quick breath as one of his servants walked out of the manor and onto the lawn, holding a phone in his gloved hand.

"Master Li, there is a phone call waiting for you." The servant said in a thick English accent, handing his master the phone. Syaoran Li may have been handsome, but he was extremely arrogant and rarely expressed his emotions. At least not out in the open. Nodding in approval, Syaoran took the phone into his own hands without so much as a thank you and waved, signaling for the servant to leave.

"Li Syaoran here, who is this? I'm a little busy right now." He said, dabbing his face with a towel.

"Keep your pants on kid, it's Dominic." Dominic was Syaoran's boss, and one of the few people he didn't cross. But even though Dominic was his superior, he loved intimidating him.

"I see, well, what do you have for me today? Like I said I'm a little busy and I don't appreciate you interrupting me while I'm training." He said, throwing his towel over his shoulder as he walked towards his manor. Once inside, he grabbed a glass of water that one of the servants already had made for him and continued towards the grand staircase to his chambers. The girl that held the tray just bowed and left without saying a word.

"I have another mission for you Syaoran," Dominic continued, "There is a man that I want you to find. And, if possible, kill. He is extremely dangerous and is looking for something significant; we can't let him find it, so! I'm asking you to go and track him down before he discovers where it is."

"If you want me to find this man then I need to know what he looks like." Syaoran said as he reached his room. He slammed open the door, quickly making his way to his walk-in closet to set out some clothes, along with a clean towel as he readied for a quick shower. "What 'significant' thing is he looking for anyway?"

"That's why we chose you for this mission, we don't know what this man looks like or what his name is. All we know is that he has a lot of followers who have no problem going out and doing his work for him." 

"I see… ok then." Still listening to what his boss was telling him, Syaoran made his way to his hot tub.

"Don't take this so lightly Li. The success of this task is on your shoulders. If you fail, the rest of us fail."

"I know the deal," Syaoran sighed, "Ok, I'll find him for you, when do you want me to start?" He took off the towel he had recently wrapped around his middle and carefully stepped into the soothing tub after he filled it with cool water, resting his head on one of the head pads as the water engulfed his entire body up to his neck.

"As soon as possible. The more we wait, the more time we're giving him to letting him get closer to it." Dominic paused, "In order to find him, I suggest that you do anything possible to keep your identity hidden."

"What should I do?" he asked comfortably.

"I dunno, use your head for once kid, find some sort of mask or something, as long as you don't ruin this for all of us. We're all counting on you to complete this task, don't mess up or it will cost you."

Syaoran smirked, his intense brown eyes shimmering with danger.

"Yeah, I know it will cost me. That's what you say every time you send me on a mission and I always come back fulfilling it. Save your breath ok? I have better things to do then hear your pathetic threats." He spat out, hanging up and leaving his boss at a loss for words. He put the phone down right underneath the faucet and hung his arms at the sides of the tub in relaxation, forgetting about the conversation he had just had. He just sat in the water without a care in the world, why shouldn't he? He was a rich man with everything he could dream of. He only needed to think about himself and no one else. He was smart and talented and didn't need anyone helping him other then his loyal servants. He stopped to think. All he usually did was visit his backyard and improve his skills as a skilled sword fighter, as well as go to his huge library to read up on famous heroes and history. He really didn't know why he was interested in that kind of stuff, it just seemed to catch his attention in a weird yet fascinating way. He also often wondered about why he didn't have a special someone in his life. Was it was because of his self-centeredness? Or was it because of how rich he was? No, it couldn't be that, every girl wanted to have someone as rich and handsome as him to marry so they wouldn't have anything to worry about again in their entire, selfish lives. But who cared? Not he, he wanted someone to love but it was just too hard to find someone who would love him for what he was, not for what he had.

Syaoran exhaled in exasperation and closed his eyes, thinking about his possibilities. "I'll find her."

...

"Umm miss? I need some coffee, and please do hurry, I have a meeting I have to be at in approximately five minutes." A man called from across the diner to a dazzling young woman who looked to be no older then eighteen. She had shoulder length auburn hair with succulent lips that seemed naturally glossed, without the help of any sort of lipstick. Her eyes shimmered emerald when she smiled or laughed, which made anyone: male or female, look at her in complete aw.

"Ok, I'm coming sir, please hold on." She said in apology. The man threw up his hands in annoyance and looked at his watch, grabbing his briefcase and rushing out of the diner. She watched as the man stomped out the door and gasped as she accidentally tripped on someone's shoe. She cried out when she fell, spilling the mug of coffee she was carrying, along with the tray, all over a customer. The heat of the coffee made the woman scream as she looked at the emerald eyed waitress.

"How dare you! This is my favorite outfit!" The woman yelled.

"I am terribly sorry, I really am, everything is just so crowded and I wasn't paying attention." She wiped some coffee off of the woman's clothes with her apron in an attempt to ease the woman's anger. Completely outraged, the woman shoved her away and scowled before grabbing her purse and leaving the diner just like the man before her had done.

"Sakura, what was all that about?" A beautiful raven haired beauty walked up to the waitress, helping her with the coffee.

"Tomoyo… I don't think this job is for me." Sakura explained, feeling worse and worse the more she thought about it. "I hate this job Tomoyo, it's so crowded all the time, people want me here and there but I'm only one person! I can't handle all this at once." She straightened out her dress and walked into the kitchen to where her coat was, roughly putting it on.

"Sakura, look at me."

Sakura turned around and looked into Tomoyo's big pools of amethyst. Everything all of a sudden became more bearable; just looking at her best friend made all her worries fly away, and that's what she loved about her. Tomoyo had that special vibe that she just couldn't explain. "You're new at this job so don't take it too hard on yourself, I know that you'll get the hang of it in time, don't worry." Tomoyo laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave her a big hug before she left, making sure that she was all right. Sakura just smiled and started for the exit on her way to her home, she had no car so she had to walk, and it was late… she really wasn't in the mood to go all that way.

"Ugn… so dark…" Sakura said, hugging herself protectively. She looked around at her surroundings as she walked, seeing all the cars pass by her, which reminded her about when she was going to get her own. She had been working around trying to save up enough money to buy a car, but she hadn't even come close to the amount needed for it. She once was a store clerk at a store called 'Fantastic Clothes', she was a worker at McDonalds, and she was even a model for a bikini shop, having to wear all kinds of outfits every hour. But none of those jobs lasted long enough and definitely didn't pay as much as she wanted.

Sakura arrived at her house not too long after she had left the diner, she lived alone and sometimes had Tomoyo come and sleep over, her brother was already married with a family and her father had passed away from heart disease. For about a year now she had been alone only to care for herself. Ever since she was little, she had hoped to have a great life, a wonderful family, and even a decent car, but so far none of her dreams had come true.

Kicking her shoes off as soon as she walked in, she made her way to the kitchen and pulled out a TV dinner from the freezer, warming it up in the microwave before going upstairs to get ready for bed. She slapped on an oversized T-shirt and kitty booties as she ate her dinner on her comforter, reading a book with one hand while holding her fork in the other.

"How sweet…" She said to herself. She was reading a novel about a girl who had nothing, but ended up being the happiest girl in the world. Sakura pictured it in her mind, what it would be like if she were that girl. She smiled at all the possibilities. Turning the page, she finished her dinner and looked at her watch. It was ten minutes to nine and she was usually in bed by eight… she was really lagging, and it bothered her to be this unhappy. She got up, threw the plastic plate away, and went back to her bed. She laid on her side, her eyes drooping off slowly, knowing that tomorrow would be another hard working day with no time to hang out with friends whatsoever. Frowning, she let her eyes drift closed as she fell into a peaceful sleep. ...

"Take care of the house while I'm away, I'm going to be gone for a while so I expect it to be in perfect shape when I get back, do you all understand?" All the servants nodded in agreement as Syaoran grabbed his bags and headed out the mansion doors. It was fairly early in the morning, and starting today he was going to start his mission, but didn't know how he was going to begin. He was supposed to think of a way to keep his identity secret but didn't have anything in mind at the moment. He hoped that once he found a suitable hotel to stay at and a good television channel, that he would think of something. Usually his brain clicked when he watched TV, which was awkward, especially for someone like him who was always serious and, well… serious.

He stepped into his Lamborghini and drove off to stay at some random place until he found this so called "evil guy". He honestly didn't want to kill him, but he was going to for two reasons. 1. He was told to and 2. He wanted to see how good at fighting he had become. Hopefully the guy would put up a strong, courageous fight so the kill wouldn't be too easy. Syaoran just whistled to the rhythm of the song he was listening to, with a pair of sunglasses hanging in his hair. He couldn't wait till he got to a hotel so he could just hang and chill, but there was one problem, how could he find this guy if he didn't know where this weirdo lived? Syaoran hit the steering wheel of the car and sighed to himself. This was one of the reasons he hated that boss of his, he would send him on a mission but never give him all the information he needed, it was really starting to get on his nerves. ...

**_Ring... Ring... Ri..–click-._**

"Hello, Sakura speaking." Sakura was still in bed and didn't realize what time it was. She was supposed to be at the diner at 8:00 and it was already 8:30. She slammed a fist into her pillow. 'Damn!" She growled to herself. It wasn't really new to her though, because ever since she was a little girl she had always been late. It was no doubt that she was going to stay that way no matter how old she was.

"Hi Sakura, do you know what time it is?" Tomoyo said on the other end of the line. Sakura continued looking at her clock in despair.

"Hoee…" Tomoyo smiled gently on her end of the phone.

"Sakura, it's ok, you're not going to go to work today." Sakura pulled the blankets off and threw her legs over the side of the bed as she sat up. She blinked once, then twice and scratched her head.

"I have to go to work today Tomoyo, its Wednesday." She walked over to her calendar to make sure she was correct and began to get dressed when she found out that she was.

"I know it's Wednesday, but I have other plans. We're going somewhere. Care for a trip?"

"What, a trip? Why? I don't have enough money for a plane ticket let alone a bus ticket Tomoyo, there is no way I can go on a trip now." Sakura put down the phone and turned on the speaker instead.

"Don't worry about that, I'm paying for the tickets and were leaving this afternoon. I'm going to come over and help you pack so don't panic too much."

"But-but this is such short notice! I mean, I can't go on a trip, I didn't even know about it until now!"

"I don't care!" Tomoyo persisted, tapping her slender fingers against the table she was sitting at. "I'll be over in a few hours, ok? You need a month or two off anyways Sakura, you've been working nonstop. I think you need a rest, don't you?" Sakura looked at herself in her vanity mirror, noting all the bags under her eyes and noticed just how tired and worn out she looked. After a few moments of staring at herself in the mirror she reluctantly agreed with her, she needed to get time off after slaving her ass off for those people. This would also be her chance to spend some quality time with her best friend, spend money, sleeping in, all that stuff that she hadn't been able to do in a long time.

"Ok… you're right, I need this. Were gunna use this opportunity to have a great time and meet guys, and who knows, maybe even get into a little trouble." Sakura smiled and hopped to her closet, putting on a cute skirt, as well as a white tank-top. On the side of her thigh, a flower was sewed into the material. She was particularly fond of skirts…

"All right Sakura, I'll see you later." Tomoyo laughed, then hung up" Sakura smiled. She was finally going to go out and have some fun, she really couldn't wait.

...  
"Have a nice day sir." The doorman said, opening the door for Syoaran who walked in casually as if he had lived there before. He went into the bedroom and threw his stuff on the bed, not caring where it landed. Afterwards, he went straight to the refrigerator.

"Lets see..." He opened the fridge door and looked inside curiously. He pushed things aside and finally decided on a can of coke. The can make a 'fizz' sound as he popped the cap, then picked up the phone. He was going to call his boss again to find out where this guy actually lived, he was sure that the guy lived here in Hong Kong, mainly because all the other missions he had had, had been in Hong Kong as well. He pressed the phone next to his ear and dialed the numbers as he waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

"Hey, Dominic here, what do you want?"

"Well hello to you too. Look, I don't have time to talk long, I only have one question for you and it would be really great if you answered it without giving me one of your dumbassed speeches, okay?" Syaoran said, taking a swig of coke.

"Fine, what is it?"

"This guy that you want me to find, where does he live, location-wise I mean?"

"He lives here, of course, where else? Hm… which reminds me, where are you going to stay while you're looking for him?"

"Let me worry about that." Syaoran said, grinning.

"Ok, whatever, as long as you're close to the old warehouse near the factories."

"Why do I need to be near there?" He asked, taking a seat on the couch with the soda in his other hand.

"Because people have commented on there being lots of odd folks walking around that area…"

"Have they been seen inside the warehouse?"

"No, no one's been in that warehouse ever since it vacated. I just want you to keep an eye out, okay? You don't really need to go investigate, we're just wondering what kind of odd people have been walking around.

"So you're saying that you really don't need me to go snooping around inside the warehouse at all?"

"Yeah, you're absolutely right. Now, remember this Syaoran, no one other then you, me, and the entire team know about this mission, so don't go telling anyone about it or something might go terribly wrong. This guy might find out that were on to him and flee, then we'll never have another chance to find him again. So please, do your job with caution."

"I will." Syaoran then hung up, throwing the phone to the other side of the couch. He rubbed his eyes as he lay down, with his hands resting behind his head. "This is going to be fun. Some rule breaking, a few girls… wait…" He stared up at the ceiling as an idea struck him, "Speaking of girls, I think I have the prefect idea of what I should do to hide my identity…" Syaoran got up, grabbed his car keys, and left the hotel room. ...

**_Ding Dong_**!

"Coming!" Sakura thumped down the stairs as she answered the door. "Hey Tomoyo, come on in. I can't wait!" Sakura took a hold of her friend's hand and rushed them upstairs to her room. "Here, these are all of my clothes. You can choose what you want me to take on the trip while I pack everything else I need." Sakura charged for the bathroom and started packing her toothbrush, hairbrush, and floss into a small bag. Tomoyo just stared at her, slightly amused

"Wow Sakura, excited much?" She questioned, looking through the pile of clothes that was piled on the floor in front of her.

"Yeah, I know. What time are we leaving?" Sakura said. throwing the bag of accessories onto a suitcase.

"In an hour and a half, we need to have time to get to the airport." Tomoyo neatly folded a shirt and placed it in the suitcase along with the small bag that Sakura had thrown in.

"Oh really? So soon? Gah we really have to hurry then. They might leave without us if we're late." Sakura threw what little makeup she had into her suitcase and sat down next to Tomoyo to help her get her clothes ready.

"Don't worry, we'll make it."

"Sorry… I just want to get there as soon as possible. It'll make me feel better when I actually see the plane." Sakura smiled dumbly and zipped up her suitcase, starting her way down the stairs with Tomoyo at her heels. Within moments, everything was ready and the both of them were in the car, Sakura in the drivers seat. "Are you ready?" She asked with her hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.

"I sure am, lets' go!" Tomoyo said, sliding into the passenger's seat. Sakura smiled and stepped on the gas pedal. They sped off to the airport, not letting another moment pass on by.

For thirty minutes they drove on the highway, laughing and telling jokes to each other. It really was the most interesting car ride they had ever had. They later on arrived and gathered up all their suitcases before walking through the doors into the airport. There were so many people already waiting in line to get their tickets approved.

"England... United States... Hong Kong... here we go, right here." Tomoyo pulled Sakura's arm and trudged towards the line they were supposed to wait in.

"So, we're going to Hong Kong?" Sakura asked, looking over everyone's heads on her tip-toes. Tomoyo nodded happily.

"Mhm! All for you, of course. You've never been to Hong Kong before, have you?"

Sakura shook her head. "I haven't." Now that she knew where they were going, she was even more excited than before. Who knows what was awaiting her there.

She scooted up to the front of the line and handed the lady behind the counter her tickets, afterwards, placing her bags in the space between the counter. She put a sticker on the bags and gave back her tickets. Sakura, still talking happily, took them kindly out of her hands and proceeded to the entrance to the planes. She saw a young man standing near the gateway, holding the rope so she and Tomoyo could pass through. Honestly, she thought he was kinda cute. As a matter of fact, she hadn't had any time to find and settle down with a decent guy. Hopefully for her, that should change soon enough, she was going to look for a nice hunk, and she was going to make him hers for the keep. With that idea, she walked by the young man and winked, smiling as a small pink flush tinted his cheeks.

He had just arrived at a nearby club to look for a girl. He wanted to find someone who would be nice and pretty… of course he also wanted someone who wouldn't mind getting a little nasty. The reason he wanted to find a decent girl, was so she could help him stay undercover. No one would suspect a guy with a girlfriend to be a spy unless she told someone, which was why he wasn't going to tell her anything about his mission or what he was planning on doing.

"Lets see..." He looked around the club, separating the girls he thought were ugly and the girls he thought were pretty, all of them didn't seem to be his type though… with the exception of a girl who was wearing a short skirt, along with a strapless top. "Heh, hello there." Syaoran thought to himself, licking his lips in interest as he walked towards the girl. "Hello, what might your name be miss...?" He asked when he approached her at the bar. The girl turned around in alarm, but her expression softened at seeing him and she shook his hand politely.

"My name is MRS. Annie Johnson, and your name is?" Syaoran looked at her hand that he had shook and noticed that she had a decent-sized diamond ring on her finger, clearly stating that she was married.

"Oh, I see that you're married." He said, suddenly walking away from her.

"No, it's fine, I can still talk." She said, grabbing his arm. He just turned around and jerked away from her.

"Nah, I only approached you because I figured you'd be single. But seeing as you aren't, I'm no longer interested. Have a nice evening."

"What exactly were you thinking when you came up to me?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips in disgust.

"I thought that I could get some tonight, but I guess not seeing as you have such a lovely wedding band." Syaoran looked at her and felt like laughing. He had a sudden change of mine though after he realized what she was about to do.

**_Splash_**!

"You're a pig, you asshole!" She had just splashed her beverage all over him, then took one last look at him and stomped off. Everyone around seemed to stop what they were doing in order to catch what was going on.

"What the hell are you looking at?" He seethed. They all turned around and began dancing again as he walked out of the club, cursing under his breath.

"Why do all girls have to be nuisances? They're so complicating." He stepped into his car and pulled out of his parking space as he started for home again. All the times he had gone to a bar or club, something like that would always happen. Some girl would get mad at him and slap him across the face, or they would yell at him in front of everyone. But this was the first time someone had splashed their drink all over him. "No biggie, there's bound to be some girl who go psycho on me."

...  
"Would you like some peanuts miss?"

"I sure would, thank you." Sakura said, smiling at the stewardess as she handed her a small package of peanuts. "So Tomoyo, when we get there, where do you want to go first?" She mumbled, opening the bag of peanuts.

"I don't know, maybe go shopping or go find a hotel to stay at, whatever you want." Tomoyo said, looking out the plane window. Sakura simply remained silent as she contemplated.

'Maybe I can go and check out the guys… or I can go shopping with Tomoyo for some new clothes...' Sakura turned her head to cheerfully smile at Tomoyo, who then placed a hand on hers.

"Sakura, I think that it would be best if we were to find a place to say for the time being. Afterwards we can go explore to your heart's content."

"Well, how much longer do we have to wait till we land? I'm getting antsy just sitting here." Sakura said, rubbing her butt. "And my bottom is asleep…"

"Not long, it shouldn't be more than thirty more minutes."

The thirty minutes passed by faster then she had calculated, and once the pilot announced over the loud speaker that they would be landing, her heart skipped a beat from pure anxiousness. The ground rumbled as the plane skid across the pavement. It wasn't until they came to a complete stop when everyone released themselves from their safety belts and gathered their things, slowly filing out through the plane door. Tomoyo couldn't help but smile at Sakura's eagerness.

The sun was nearly gone, signaling those nocturnal creatures their time to roam. A small grin threatened to tug at Sakura's lips.

"Hong Kong, eat your heart out."

...

**A/N: Finished with the first chapter folks. I warn you that the first few chapters might be a bit slow, but I assure you that the later chapters will make up for all of that. As of now, we're just getting into the characters and the overall beginning of the story. Hopefully you'll remain interested once I upload some more. But until then, thanks for reading!**


	2. Objective One: Find the Girl

**N/A: Here's the next chapter that you've all been waiting for and thank you all for your reviews, I really appreciate them. Again, sorry if this chapter is a bit slow too, I'm just trying to get into the overall feel of the story. Until then though, you'll have to suffer through… some of the boring **

'**acquaintance' stuff. Sorry… heh.**

...

**To My Reviewers:**

**_A Little Birdie:_** Hey! I'm glad that you enjoyed my first chapter and thank you so much for reviewing! )

**_Jenn:_** smilesOf course they're gunna meet, along with Eriol. I don't know what will happen between the four of them though, but then again you'll have to keep readin' to find out, ne? lol thanx for reviewing!

**_Cherry Jade:_** Thanks for reading my fic, and I'm glad that you liked it. I try my best to make my readers happy. I hope that you keep reading and thank you SO much for your review!

**_Hermione-Personality:_** Thanks, and thank _you_ for reading, it means a lot to me. (And clearly I updated just like you wanted hehehe. Lol)

**_Christie:_** Thanks for the nice review, and here's your update!!

**_Kaye:_** Wow, I'm glad you enjoyed this lil fic of mine and I tried to update as fast as I could so here it is. Srry for taking so long.

**_Shakrin:_** Woah woah woah! Lol here's your update, please don't come and kill my computer. stands up and guards my screen haha thanks for the funny review!

**_Midnightangel:_** Hi! Here's your next chappie that you wished for, I hope you like it as much as you liked the last one!

**_Hoa_** **_Mai:_** He is, isn't he? Well now he's going to be even more interesting. I hope that you like it!

Thank you to all of my reviewers, I'm so happy that you guys actually like my fic. I hope that you all keep reading and reviewing and I'll try my best to help fulfill your imaginary needs!

...

**Chapter 2**

_Objective One: Find the Girl_

"Sakura, we're going to be here in Hong Kong for a while you know. We have plenty of time to do what you'd like, but..."

"Shh... I hear something..." Sakura said with a finger to her lips; her eyes closed as if she were concentrating hard on something. Tomoyo just stared at her in wonder. They were still waiting outside of the airport, looking up and down the streets for a taxi to show up. The entire place was bustling with noise… of course she had heard something. Everything was so loud!

"Ah-ha! Here's one!" Sakura threw a finger into the air as a taxi drove up to them.

"Sakura..." Tomoyo rubbed her forehead sadly and put the bags in the trunk of the taxi with difficulty. Trying to push the bags in, she looked up and noticed the taxi driver walk up to her.

"It looks like you could use some help." He said, smiling handsomely. Tomoyo stared at him with her mouth slightly open. When she realized what she was doing, she quickly closed her mouth and smiled.

"Yes, it does seem that way doesn't it? Would you help me please?" She asked sweetly, obviously an expert in flirtation. He nodded and leaned into the trunk, pushing the bags inside. Tomoyo stood behind him… admiring his backside thoughtfully and grinned.

"Tomoyo, hurry up we have to go." Sakura complained, leaning out of the passenger side. Tomoyo walked up to her and leaned down with her arms propped atop the window.

"Sakura, you wouldn't mind if I sat here do you?"

Sakura quirked an eyebrow, "Pfft, you can sit in the back." She replied. Tomoyo looked at her and then glanced at the young driver who shut the trunk and was making his way to the driver's seat. In realization, Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head, getting out of the car and sliding into the backseat. Tomoyo happily opened the car door, sitting in the spot where Sakura had just been and smirked as the driver drove them to their hotel.

"Well, hello there." She grinned, facing the driver as they sped off down the street.

"Hm... interesting... very interesting." Syaoran had just gotten home and was lying on his couch looking at a Playboy magazine intently. There was nothing for him to do since he didn't find a girl at that club, but he needed to find someone fast so he could get on with finding this mysterious guy. Though it was another mission, he was getting quite bored with it. Mainly because this one had to do with… well… a male, along with all the other missions he'd had before. For once he had hoped to have to track down a nice, attractive girl and try to seduce her. To him that would be fun and easy to do, seeing as he was able to seduce any girl he pretty much wanted. He had the looks, he had the body, and if he chose, he had the perfect attitude. _That_ would win any girls' affections... most of them anyway. There was no girl he had come across that he was not able to woe within a day... or an hour. They all loved him, which was no shock to him at all. All he had to do was sit back, smile, and everything would go the way he wanted. He supposed that along with being an agent, all of those characteristics appeared to be useful.

He continued turning the pages of the magazine, turning it this way and that while he looked at the pictures. But unfortunately, someone signaled a knock on his door. He looked up and put the magazine down before making his way to answer it.

"Hello sir, I was sent her to see if everything had been alright so far with your stay." A young girl said sweetly. Syaoran merely smiled at her, an evil glint in his brown eyes, and looked around his room, thinking on a problem he could summon up.

"Actually, there _is_ something that I have been trying to deal with... Please, do come in." He began as he pulled her inside, shutting the door behind him. ...

"Woah. Big room…" Sakura whispered as she walked into the suite, looking around. She was clearly impressed with what she saw.

"Hehe! I have to catch this on video!" Tomoyo screeched, reaching into her bag for her video camera.

"Hoe? This is supposed to be a day of relaxation, where we do nothing but enjoy ourselves. Come on Tomoyo… we've been sitting in a plane all this time." She walked out onto the balcony, looking out at the city that was in front of her. It was beautiful, all the people were nice and calm, the buildings were tall clean as if they were just finished being built, and the sky was filled with so many stars, it tempted Sakura to fall into one of her own little dream worlds again.

"Sakura, lets get something to eat." Tomoyo said, taking off her coat and hanging it on a coat hanger near the door. Sakura turned around an nodded, with a thoughtful finger on her chin.

"Something fancy sounds nice..." She smiled.  
Syaoran opened the door to his suite as the girl stepped out looking flushed, happy, and extremely shy. He held the door open for her and noted that she was suddenly more embarrassed as she tied her apron.

"I guess that everything's fine now that I… checked on it?" She said, fixing her hair. Syoaran nodded and kissed her on the cheek, only to grin even more when she blushed again.

"And uh... if I need any more help, I'll make sure to have _you_ attend to me." She squeaked in embarrassment and bit her lower lip to hide another smile as she walked off towards the elevators. He watched until she disappeared down the hall, then turned around and shut the door behind him. As soon as he assured himself he was alone, his frown was immediately plastered on his handsome face again. Honestly, he was going to get wrinkles from frowning so much. Of course he had fun, but now that it was over, he wanted to do something else to keep him occupied.

He went to make his bed, afterwards approaching his window, leaning against the glass with one hand as he looked outside. It was dark out and he wanted to leave sometime soon. All the girls in the restaurants would be working to get some good tips from the hungry, searching men tonight. He looked at his watch and sighed as he went to go take a bath. In order to pursue his woman, he was going to need to look the part.

...

"Tomoyo, we've checked every restaurant for the past eight miles… nothing seems to be good enough for your tastes, maybe we can just get McDo-"

"Stop complaining Sakura, you were the one who wanted to find an expensive place to eat, so I'm trying to find one."

Sakura grew silent. The two girls had been circling the city looking for a decent place to dine, but of course with how picky the both of them were, they couldn't find anything decent.

They veered into a parking space and the both of them walked to the restaurant, though they noticed that when they walked in, it looked a lot more elegant and stylish then it had looked on the outside. It had a mini bar at one corner where a handsome bartender stood, attending his customers. In the center of all of the commotion, there was a dance floor, where gentle, soothing music flowed over the people, who all seemed elegantly dressed for the occasion. It looked fabulous, but they also noticed that they were the only females who seemed to be without a partner, a male partner. They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They didn't care, so long as they had fun and stuffed themselves to their heart's content.

"May I help you ladies?" An elderly waiter asked them, pointing his hand towards a two-seated table. Tomoyo, with how she was raised, politely said 'yes' and followed the man to the table where he pulled out her chair for her to sit, as did Sakura. Sakura looked at her and noticed she had taken her napkin and folded it in her lap like the perfect lady she was. She was acting so grownup... Tomoyo was the same age as she, yet Sakura had never acted like this, save for the few family meetings she had gone to.

Curiously watching her, Sakura did the same and folded her napkin in her lap as well. Tomoyo simply chuckled and Sakura blushed, slightly embarrassed.

"Sakura, have you ever been to a place like this before?"

She looked down at her lap. "No, I haven't."

"Don't stress, you're doing fine." Sakura nodded intently as the people around eyed them, probably wondering if they could afford anything on the menu.

A tall man walked right by the window that they were sitting near, catching Sakura's attention. Her gaze followed him as he walked. He had short brown hair that slightly covered his eyes. And though it looked messy, it was strangely alluring. His eyes were undoubtedly breathtaking as well. She noticed his frame was tall and built from the way his clothing fit snuggly to his form. Still watching him, he opened the restaurant door and stepped in. And so… alone.

"Oh my…" Sakura said airily. Tomoyo watched her in question.

"What is it, Sakura?" She asked, studying her face. Sakura jerked her head in the direction of the man.

"Oh my…" Tomoyo repeated once she caught a glance of him. She looked back to Sakura, grinning from ear to ear, "Go talk to him." Sakura shook her head vigorously.

"What? No! What would I say?" Sakura fiddled with her fingers in her lap.

"Lets see…" Tomoyo glanced over her shoulder back at him and noticed her rather brief eye contact with him, though she couldn't tell whether he was looking at her or Sakura.

"He's checking you out." She said, trying to talk and smile at the same time.

...

'Why, hello there. Who might you be?' Syoaran thought to himself, looking at the emerald eyed beauty. 'You're cute," he began, staring her down, "not that cute, but cute.'

He noticed that she had stiffened in her chair from catching his dark gaze. He smirked and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

Getting up from his seat, he straightened out his green, silk shirt, "I think I'll go talk with her.'

"Ow! What was that for?" Sakura grumbled, rubbing her leg under the table. Tomoyo had pinched her before nodding towards the stranger, who just so happened to be walking towards them at that very moment. Sakura glared in panic, wide-eyed at Tomoyo whose eyes were closed tight, trying her best not to laugh. It was so hard to control herself, she couldn't help but turn away from them both when he approached, hiding her face in her hands as a snort escaped her lips.

"Hello. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help but notice you from across the room." He said, smiling handsomely. Goodness his lips looked delicious… Sakura stared at him closely as a small blush spread across her cheeks. She tried to sneak a peek at Tomoyo, who was still looking the other way.

"Are you here with anyone?" He asked. Stupid question, he knew that, but he had to know if there was a male in her life. Sakura stuttered for words as she answered him.

"I am. I came here tonight with my friend," She answered, gesturing to Tomoyo across the table.

"I see, well then, if there is no one else in particular, would you mind me asking you to join me for dinner?" Sakura melted in her chair. She barely knew this guy yet he was already asking her to have dinner? Tomoyo pinched her again.

"I would love to." She smiled between half gritted teeth. He smiled in return and she took his arm. His lips really did look delicious…

They walked to the bar, with Tomoyo sitting all alone a few feet away, watching them with curiosity. Wow, maybe going on this trip was good for her after all.

"So, what's your name Miss...?" He asked, resting his elbow atop the counter.

"Sakura Kinomoto," She replied nervously, offering him her hand. He gently grasped her fingers and pulled her hand to his lips, brushing his lips across her delicate flesh softly.

"What a beautiful name... for such a beautiful lady." He said after kissing her hand, refusing to take his eyes off of her. "My name is Syaoran Li, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kinomoto."

"Please, call me Sakura." She practically melted… yet again. He regarded her expression carefully, then grinned.

"Sakura it is then."  
... 

'Perfect. This girl will do, she seems dense enough.' He thought selfishly, but a second voice deep in the back of his head rose in defense.

'Oh, come on, Syaoran, take it easy, you just met her. She seems nice... and she does seem like the type that won't suspect anything from you. But at least try with her, if it doesn't work out then find someone else.' Syoaran nodded his head to himself and picked up the menu that was lying, untouched on the table, and handed it to her courteously.

...

"What would you like to order? Please, choose anything your heart desires. It's on me." Syaoran folded his hands under his chin, with his own menu already open in front of him. Sakura looked at him, bewildered, hearing her heart beat like a drum all the while inside her chest. Why was she feeling like this? She had only known this man for what, five minutes?

'Chose anything my heart desires? Does that mean you're on the menu…?' She thought, shaking her head in her own attempt to shake away the thought.

The waiter walked up to them, notepad in hand.

"What are you lovely couple in the mood for tonight? He asked. Sakura opened her mouth to correct him, only to grow silent when Syaoran held up a hand to answer.

"We would like to have the most expensive wine you can provide, considering you actually have some. And I would like your tomato shrimp soup, perhaps some extra shrimp while you're at it." He said, returning his attention to Sakura. "Now what would you like, sweetie?" He smiled at her, knowing his comment had hit a nerve… a pleasant nerve.

"Umm, I would like your Ceasar salad please, as well as pork chops." She bit her lip in embarrassment. "I'm pretty hungry." The waiter nodded and chuckled before he walked off, leaving them alone again.

... 

Sakura waited patiently for the food to arrive. She didn't know what to say to break the silence other then stare at his rather irresistible features. He was perfect. He had the personality, the looks, class. She'd be out of her mind if she had refused him.

"So, what do you plan to do after dinner Li?" Sakura gave him the best smile she could muster and fluttered her eyelashes. Whether he noticed that she had done so, she didn't know.

"I'm not quite sure, probably go home and take a bath, watch some TV maybe..." He racked his mind for a means of keeping up the conversation. Was it always hard to talk to women? "What about you, Sakura?"

"I'm tired, so I think I'll just go to bed. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow." She said, smiling sweetly. ... 

'How unfortunate,' He thought, 'I suppose I'll have to see her some other time.' Syaoran frowned mentally, but on the outside he was still working his facade.

"I see. Well then, would it be alright if I saw you again some other time?"

"I wouldn't mind that at all, actually." She continued to fiddle with her fingers under the table.

The food then arrived and the waiter gently laid the plates down in front of them.

He seemed so nice, she almost felt sad that she would have to leave after this, especially since she could almost tell how much he wanted to stay with her after dining. Hiding her frown, she picked at her food, trying to regain her appetite.

They both ate in silence, laughing and joking every now and then. They really enjoyed each other's company. So much, it seemed as if they were actually a couple. Honestly though, the thought didn't seem to bother them at all. After finishing their meals, Sakura turned around to look at Tomoyo. She was just sitting there, patiently watching Sakura.

"Time to go," she mouthed, pointing at her watch. Sakura frowned and turned back to Syaoran.

"I'm sorry, but my friend and I must be going now. It's getting late…" She stood up, pushing her chair in as she made her way to her coat back at the table Tomoyo was seated. So, taking this as his cue to leave too, Syaoran stood as well and followed her to the exit.

"When do you think we could meet again?" He asked, politely kissing her hand again. Oh boy, his lips…

"Does tomorrow sound good?" He smiled in agreement and watched as she rummaged inside her purse for a pen and a post-it. She always did keep things handy. "Here's my number," She wrote the number of her hotel on the yellow piece of paper and handed it to him. He gladly accepted it from her and placed it in his pocket.

"Be expecting a call from me soon. Good night, Sakura."

Tomoyo grabbed her hand as she led her out of the restaurant door, with Syaoran waving them goodbye off in the distance.

"Yep, she's the one alright." He said to no one in particular as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, fingering the piece of paper thoughtfully, "She's definitely the one."

... 

"…tomorrow would be a good time. Go to the warehouse and do what you can. You know well that I don't accept failure. And I expect to find out something interesting on this, don't disappoint me." A man said, staring out of a window, his face shadowed by the darkness shrouding the room.

"Yes sir." Another man said, clearly this man's employee. He then walked out of the room, leaving the stranger alone to continue looking out of his window. By the looks of his shadow, he had a well-built body with wide, broad shoulders. And when he talked, he had a soft yet deep and alluring voice.

He made orders from his home, which was secluded to no one but he and his employees. He could fool anyone he wanted, make anyone believe what he wanted them to believe. He had everything set out for him, but it was keeping everything a secret that was growing difficult. 

He never really knew why he turned out to be such a bad person, but he had a few reasons to live by. He had spent his time wondering why he was doing what he was doing, and trying to discover this chamber was growing exhausting. There were times he laughed at himself, thinking that it was a stupid idea, that he would probably never find that place. But deep inside he knew that there was a chance that it might actually exist and that he might be the lucky individual to find it first. He stepped away from the window, walking towards his desk to turn on his desk light. Once he discovered this chamber, he could get back at the people who had hurt him in the past, the people who had made fun of him when he was a child. He could get revenge on everyone, and not have to feel badly for doing so. Now that he had grown wealthy and had recruited many followers who admired his doings, he would now be able to do so with ease. In fact, he never really had to do things himself anymore... was that considered bad? He was a very powerful man, what more could one ask for?

...

**N/A: Ooh. I wonder who the evil guy is. It might be someone Sakura knows, someone Syoaran knows, or he might be some nerd that wants to take over the world. Of course that might be a little too exaggerated, but who knows, it might just be that! Thank you for your reviews and I'll try to update when I can. Please keep reading! Ja ne!**


	3. Do You Remember Me?

**A/N: Hey!!! I am soo sorry it's taken me so long to write another chappie, I've been really busy with my school finals and all that crap. Anyways now I'm back and here to give u another one of my chapters that you all have patiently waited for.**

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**To My Reviewers:**

**_Arsinen:_** Thank you! I'm glad that you like it and of course they will get together, one way or another. Thanks for your review!

**_Cutekawaii:_** Here's your update, enjoy!

**_Rushi_** **_Star:_** Here's your review and I'll try to make the chapters longer. The only reason they're kinda short is because I want you to be curious about what's going to happen next lol. But all the same I'll try to make them longer for you! **huggles**

**_Jenn:_** Yes, I know he's mean but that's all part of the story lol. And yes you're righ,t it does make the story more interesting. Don't worry though, that will all change in time, his attitude I mean. Thanks for your review! **smiles**

**_Cherry Jade:_** giggles I'm glad that you liked my last chappie and hopefully you'll like this one too. And I just HAD to put the playboy in there somewhere it just wouldn't be him if I didn't lol. Thanks for your review. **hugs**

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**Chapter 3**

_Do You Remember Me?_

Sakura was overly excited about the night before, of what had happened between her and Syaoran. She had lay in bed for hours just thinking about him. Of his body, his manliness, his personality, his lips... She barely even knew him and yet she felt like jumping on him, regardless of her self preservation. But she was the old fashioned kind of girl and always waited for the guy to make the first move. After all, she didn't want to give him the wrong impression… That was the last thing she wanted to do.

It was morning, well past nine o' clock and there was a slight dim of light entering through the small window onto her bright pink walls, shadowing the bed where Sakura was still bundled up in her comforter. Her head was under the covers where it was dark and she was thinking about what would've happened if she didn't have to leave the restaurant the night before. Maybe she would've gone outside for a stroll with him, just talking about random things, or maybe she would've lost all control of her body, doing things that she knew was bad. Well… maybe not that bad. In a way she was making up the story in her mind, only so she could rethink it over and over again. She smiled under the covers, thinking about all of the possibilities. She was just getting to the good part when Tomoyo barged noisily into her bedroom, looking pale, sad, shocked, and devastated all at the same time.

Shaken at the sudden bang of her door and the wall, Sakura threw the blankets off her body and sat bolt upright to look at who had interrupted her wonderful moments of bliss. One minute she saw Tomoyo standing at her bedroom door, her hair matted as if she had just woken up, and the next she was sitting down at the foot of the bed breathing hard, her eyes red from stress. Sakura folded her legs beneath her and waited anxiously for an explanation.

"We…we…I can't believe…it's…" Sakura raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms while Tomoyo continued mumbling; desperately trying to get her words out and at the same time using her arms to try to draw a picture of what she was trying to explain. "It was there… then… gone… just like that! Dropped maybe… stolen?" Sakura flung her arms in the air in frustration and stood from the bed, the sun from her window making her hair glimmer ever so lightly in the light.

"How about you breathe? That might help." She said, grabbing the blanket off the floor.

"We're broke." Tomoyo said flatly. She seemed too dazed to realize how serious and frantic she should have been acting. She simply just sat on the bed, her hair still a mess, and looking out into nothing. Sakura finished folding the blanket and laid it on the bed, putting her pillow on it to make room for her to sit.

"What do you mean _we're broke_?" She was a little confused. She didn't know whether she meant that they were out of money or if she had broken something. So instead, she just looked at her, patiently waiting for a response.

"I mean _we're broke_, as in _no money_." Tomoyo seemed calm when she said this. Too calm. She wasn't as hysterical as she was when she nearly broke the bedroom door down.

"Pfft hah! Okay we're broke, now can you leave so I can get changed?" Sakura said, smiling. To her, she thought it was all a joke that Tomoyo was playing in her own attempt to try and get her worried. Unfortunately for her though, it wasn't working. Standing up from the bed, she made her way to the closet and opened the white wooden doors to search her belongings.

"Sakura…we have no money." There was a peculiar wave in Tomoyo's voice when she said this, and without warning, a lump formed in Sakura's throat. Now she had the feeling that she was actually telling the truth. Lowering her hand from one of the coat hangers, Sakura frowned.

"We have no money?"

A tear dropped from Tomoyo's blue eyes, following an awkward silence. "Are you joking?" Sakura asked. Tomoyo shook her head and answered 'no' before another tear fell onto her pale cheek. Panic overwhelmed her as Sakura's eyes widened in horror.

"What happened to it?! How could you lose our money, is it even _possible_?!" She yelled, nearly losing all control.

"I don't know! It's just gone!" Tomoyo tried to explain, defending herself. Sakura put a hand to her forehead and kicked the wall, leaving a black mark at the bottom where her foot made contact with the paint. Trying to keep calm, she lowered her voice and spoke in a more quiet tone.

"You _do_ know that we can't go to the bank to get money, seeing as you lost everything." Tomoyo remained silent and nodded her head while Sakura lay limply against the wall. "What are we going to do? Did you try looking for it? Maybe it's somewhere here, you've just misplaced it."

"I don't have my purse. Everything we had of any importance was in that purse." She explained, "It's not here Sakura."

"This can't be happening!" Sakura screamed. "My things were in there too. I asked you to carry everything for me so I wouldn't have to bring mine." Sakura breathed deeply, trying to control her anger. "I've just had the time of my life and now I find out that we're completely broke without enough money to buy a twenty-five cent gum ball!" She sighed, regaining her composure, "Maybe we can get help from the police?"

"Sakura, we can't talk Chinese."

"Naturally they'll have others who can speak Japanese."

"They'll probably think that we're lying."

"There's no way to prove that we're not!"

Tomoyo remained silent. "Maybe we can call home? We can get help from my mother." She stood from the bed. "Until our help arrives, we can get jobs." Sakura giggled sarcastically at that comment.

"Yeah sure, okay, let's get jobs! We can't speak Chinese, it's going to take at least a week to even earn enough to get a _fucking_ bowl of soup! And who knows, the hotel supervisors might kick us out for not being able to pay for our stay. If we did stay at the hotel, by the time we receive any amount of money, the bill is going to be outrageous." Sakura was pacing the room and saying all of this through a clenched jaw. "We'll still be able to pay once we sort this all out, but why let the bill pile up?"

"So are you saying that we move out? We don't have anywhere to go Sakura, no one will take us in." Sakura stopped dead pace, in realization and quickly rushed to the phone. Grabbing a piece of paper off of the dresser, she read the number on it and hurriedly dialed the digits. Tomoyo appeared from the room a few moments later with a confused look on her face.

"Sakura what-" she began, but Sakura held out a finger to silence her and she pressed the phone to her ear, her hand shaking ever so slightly.

"Hello, I need to reach Li Syaoran please..."

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Syaoran Pov:

' _I_ _wonder if she's thinking about me. Ha well, of course she is, I'm irresistible.' _I thought walking down the aisles of the supermarket. I was looking for some magazines to amuse me while I waited in my hotel suite for my next objective. My boss, the big D, was never the punctual type of guy. That's what I hate most about him. There were times where I would be done with my mission, all packed and ready to go home when suddenly I get a phone call three days later from him, telling me that I was supposed to take the guy back with me so he could question him. But of course, it was a little late. The cops already had him locked up in his cell. All the same, I had to go through all the paperwork just to get the guy out of jail. _Sigh_. I'll probably be able to survive another few years off this guy. I mean, I get good pay doing this shit, that's the only upside. But after that, I'm ditching him _and_ the rest of the crew to live off what I've earned.

I already had the magazines (Playboy of course), wrapped up firmly in a plastic bag and was now making my way to my car. Yep, my car is my baby, with the emerald metallic paint that changes different shades of green, no matter what angle you look at it from. She was sitting in the parking lot all ready for another spin. Yep, I take good care of her just as much as I take care of myself. Heh, that's a first.

Opening the door I step into it, tossing the magazines onto the passenger's seat beside me. Eager to get home and look at them, I started the engine and sped off, passing girl after girl who couldn't manage but take a quick glimpse at me while I drove down the road. All girls are the same; they want one thing and one thing only… sex. Pfft, and they say that's all guys think about. Well to tell you the truth, that's all that girls think about too.

Not that I mind that or anything.

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Normal Pov:

As Syaoran drove off into the distance, a young man about his age appeared from around the corner of the market Syaoran had left. He had an evil glint in his eye and was smirking… how odd. He placed his hands in his pockets as he watched Syaoran's car disappear from view.

"So, Syaoran Li is in town. Should I go and pay him a visit?" He contemplated to himself, still looking at the road even though the car was long gone. "I think he'll enjoy my company, we are friends after all, would be a shame to lose the opportunity to say hi." He said as he walked over to his Harley motorcycle. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which made the bike look brand new, the color illuminating from the reflection of the sun. Rearing the engine, he listened to it purr as he hastily followed after him, making sure to not lose his trail. Little did he know that someone was going to be calling him in approximately two hours looking for a job.

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Syaoran was listening to his music and bobbing his head up and down at the same time like a bobble head doll. Every now and then he would sing a few words to the song and look out the window to see if anyone was watching him. Embarrassment, he supposed. After the fifth time looking out the window, he noticed someone behind him.

'_That guy has been following me ever since I left the market.' _Syaoran thought as he made another turn. Even though he was coming close to his hotel, he purposefully made a few wrong turns to see if the guy behind him would follow. '_Who are you?'_ He thought to himself, looking in his rear view mirror. After admitting to his self that whoever it was, was indeed, pursuing him, he made a hard turn and full throttled to try and lose him; and, to no shock, he did. Looking back out behind him, he didn't see anyone. Smiling, impressed with himself, he slowed down and continued his way back to the hotel.

He parked his car outside of the black building, people walking in and out of the golden decorated doors. They turned to look at the car as Syaoran tweaked the alarm, making a beeping sound as he walked through the front doors to the elevators. He had a feeling that he had an important phone call that he was going to miss, preferably from his boss. So walking into the elevator and pressing the top floor button, Syaoran waited patiently, the Chinese melody soothing his tensed body. Within seconds he reached the top floor where his suite was and slid his card through the slot to gain him self entrance.

Throwing the car keys on the coffee table, he threw off his shoes and walked over to the couch, slumping into it lazily as he awaited his important phone call.

'_Who was that person? Was it a male or female?' He thought. 'It must be a guy. Girls are too stupid to ride motorcycles.' _Syaoran lay on the couch with his head between two pillows, thinking about who the person on the motorcycle was and why he was following him. Did the guy know what he was up to? Or did he just happen to go the same direction he was going? Both ways seemed suspicious and Syaoran wasn't going to let this go easily.

After a few moments of being lazy on the sofa, the sound of an engine caught his attention. Standing up, ears perked at the loud, rumbling noise, Syaoran walked over to his window and lifted a hand to move the blue curtains out of his view. He looked around to see who was making such racket and noticed someone moving down below. It was the guy who was following him back from the market. Trying to see who it was, Syaoran continued watching him. The stranger was just about ready to get off the bike and take off his helmet when someone knocked on the door. Syaoran cursed to himself. He was extremely curious to find out who had been following him. He remained in place, looking out of his window in anticipation. Again, another knock was heard, and the person on the bike still hadn't taken off his helmet. Running to the door, he opened it to see the housekeeper standing there with her cart full of toilet paper and cloths. She was about to say something, but without thinking twice, Syaoran quickly said, "I don't need housekeeping right now," and slammed the door in the poor woman's face.

He hurriedly ran to his window again only to find that nothing but the guy's bike was there. He cursed loudly this time and rubbed his temples with his fingers. His eyes then widened in realization. If the guy wasn't on his bike anymore, then that meant that he was in the hotel probably approaching his hotel suite.

"Damnit," Just to be cautious, Syaoran ran into his room and grabbed his gun he had earlier placed in his dresser drawer.

"Let's see who this punk is. He'd be a fool to challenge me," He said, shaking the gun in his hand to prove his point. Right when he walked out of his bedroom, once again another knock was heard. He held the gun in his right hand, his left supporting the other as he slowly walked to the front door. Putting a hand on the knob, he turned and opened it to reveal the last person he expected to see.

"Hello Syaoran, remember me?"

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**A/N: I know it's not that much after not updating for nearly 2 months, but I promise I'll update regularly from now on forward. It's my summer break, which means COMPLETE UPDATING FOR 2 WHOLE MONTHS! Isn't that great? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chap and again, please review!**


	4. SakuraMeet Your Boss

A/N: Alrighty, here I am again after not updating...for another 2 or possible 3 months. Sorry about that you guys. I bet almost everyone who was reading this has totaly forgotten all about it. Oh well, I guess it's my fault. Anywho, again sorry for not updating in a while, I've been really busy. I tried to make this chapter as interesting as possible, so please bear with me if it's not that good.

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**To My Reviewers:**

**_ClassicElfRyoko:_** Haha yeah I know...gotta lovvve his body. ;) Everything about Syaoran is just so irresistable. Heh and thanks so much for your review! **huggles**

**_Arsinen:_** (laughs like a maniac) Well, you'll never know who it really is until you read the chapter. Don't worry though, you'll find out really soon. Thank you so much for your review!

**_tenshi_** **_cherry blossoms:_** Wow thanks, I don't know but I just love leaving people wondering what's going to happen next. It's just in my nature. **smiles** **evily** I'm glad you like my fic, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**_Cherry Jade:_** Hehe, I'm glad you enjoy my fic. It means a lot to me hearing you say that. Anywho here's the next chapter! (Sorry for not updating a lot sooner) hehe.

**_Lil_** **_Cherry Blossom Angel:_** **huggles** Thanks a lot. And I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**_Aikia:_** Lol, thankyouthankyouthankyou for saying that. :P

**_Freak-o-matic273:_** Here's your update! )

**_Sakura Avalon or Kinomoto:_** Hehe, I'm glad you like my fic lol.

**_Kawaii_** **_Bell:_** Oh neato, you're out for a full 3? I'd do anything to be out for a whole 3 months but hey, it ain't gonna happen. Anyway here's an update, enjoy!

**_sakura.cherryblossom.kinomoto:_** giggle Thanks! Things have been so crazy around here but I finally managed to get an update up. So here ya go:)

**_AnimaluvaJK:_** I always try to get my readers wondering about what will happen next. But anyway, here's your update. :)

_Here's a recap of what happened last chapter:_

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He hurriedly ran to his window again only to find that nothing but the guy's bike was there. He cursed loudly this time and rubbed his temples with his fingers. His eyes then widened in realization. If the guy wasn't on his bike anymore, then that meant that he was in the hotel probably approaching his hotel suite.

"Damnit," Just to be cautious, Syaoran ran into his room and grabbed his gun he had earlier placed in his dresser drawer.

"Let's see who this punk is. He'd be a fool to challenge me," He said, shaking the gun in his hand to prove his point. Right when he walked out of his bedroom, once again another knock was heard. He held the gun in his right hand, his left supporting the other as he slowly walked to the front door. Putting a hand on the knob, he turned and opened it to reveal the last person he expected to see.

"Hello Syaoran, remember me?"

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**Chapter 4:**

_Sakura... Meet Your New Boss_

"No way. Is it really you?!" Syaoran exclaimed as soon as he opened the door. For so long he had never seen this person...but now, it didn't seem to matter. The man standing in the doorway, wearing all black, focused on Syaoran, smiling smugly.

"Nice to see you too. I see you've missed me." He said as he slid his hands into his pockets, still smiling. Syaoran was too amazed to even think straight, all he did was move to the side and gesture the man into the room.

"Please, come in." Syaoran said as the man walked past him. Taking off his black leather biker jacket, the man laid it on the arm of a chair and sat down on the couch as he looked around. "Long time no see, man." Syaoran continued. "How's is goin'?"

Running a hand though his dark, black hair, the young man, who looked no older then Syaoran's age, folded his hands behind his head and sighed.

"Not much, just the usual. Nothing has changed really since we stopped hanging out with each other and went our seperate ways." Syaoran nodded in understanding and went into the kitchen, pulling out a few sodas from the fridge.

"That's it, huh? Do you have anyone special in your life, a girl possibly?" He asked, sitting down next to him while popping the soda.

"Nah, just me and myself. I don't really need anyone right now. Maybe when I get everything sorted out then I'll start considering settling down."

"That's respectable." Syaoran grinned, leaning back into the couch. "So about earlier, you had me going there for a sec. I thought you were some psycho following me around. I was ready to shoot your ass as soon as I opened that door." He snorted as he twirled the gun in his lap. The young man just smiled and let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah well, you know me Syaoran. Everything about me is..."

"-mysterious, yeah I know. Everyone says that." Syaoran finished his sentence for him. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I should be asking _you_ the same question." The man retorted. Syaoran just let out a small laugh and shrugged.

"I don't know really, I'm just here hanging out. Taking a break from all the chaos I've been going through." He lied. He knew he didn't like lying to his best friend, but he had no choice. Taking a drink from his soda, he turned his head to look at his black haired friend, waiting for his answer to the question.

"I live here now." He said knowingly. "I needed somewhere peaceful to stay while I settled things. As for why I'm here seeing you, I just happened to see you leave the market, so I decided to drop by. I hope it's not a problem." Syaoran grinned and ran a hand though his hair.

"Nope, it's not a problem at all. As a matter of fact I was getting kinda bored." Syaoran stood up with the soda still in his hand and stretched, making a slight groan. His friend just shook his head, laughing lightly. "Oh yeah..." Syaoran continued. "There's a lot you need to tell me. Everything from the reason you moved, all the way to why you stopped calling me." His friend opened his mouth to answer but the phone interrupted him. Putting the soda on the coffee table, Syaoran ran to the counter and answered it. And in a not too friendly tone either. "What."

A small, nervous voice sounded on the other end, and Syaoran automatically placed who it was right off the bat. He hit himself mentally, for he knew he sounded like a jerk when he answered.

"Syaoran?" the soft voice said. She didn't know whether she had called at a bad time, so she just waited patiently for his answer.

"Sakura, is that you?" He grinned wider, immediately switching on his charm. 'What gives me the pleasure of hearing your beautiful voice?" His friend looked at him curiously, an eyebrow quirked in question as he eavesdropped into the conversation. Syaoran merely held up a finger and put his hand to his hip as he continued to talk to Sakura, turning to face the wall. '_Time to begin my plan, I take it?.'_ He thought to himself as Sakura's voice echoed into his ear.

"Hey, Syaoran. I'm sorry to bother you but this is...well, an emergency if you must." Sakura bit her lip in embarassment, knowing that what she was going to ask him would be uncalled for on so many levels. "Tomoyo and I have just recently... erm... lost all of our important belongings and we are in serious need of help. Do you think you can help us find a job of some sort so we can take care of this problem?" She blushed at her own question, knowing full well how stupid she must have sounded to him. As for Syaoran, he was trying his hardest not to laugh as he covered the phone with his palm.

"What is it?" His friend asked, still staring at him and the phone from the couch.

"My '_girlfriend_' called to ask if I could help her find a job."

"Hm...I think I could help her with that, if it would be alright with her," He offered. "And since when did you get a girlfriend?" Syaoran waved him off and returned his attention to the phone.

"Sakura, I am so sorry, it is most unfortunate that you've lost your valuable possessions. I would be glad to help you. As a matter of fact I have a friend who is willing to hire you." He smiled and rolled his eyes when he heard a squeal of delight from her end of the phone.

"Really?!" She exclaimed in excitement. "How wonderful! I'm sure Tomoyo and I would be happy to work for your friend."

"Would you like to talk with him? He's with me right now." Syaoran said, getting ready to hand his friend the phone. There was a quick 'yes' and Syaoran held out his hand, his friend taking the phone and pressing it to his ear.

"Hello?" He answered politely. He had such an attractive sounding voice, so much like Syaoran's.

"Hi, this is Sakura Kinomoto. I hear that you're willing to let my friend, Tomoyo-chan and I, work for you?" She felt so awkward asking someone for a job, and for such a stupid reason. But she was surprised to hear that there was no chuckle from his end of the line, instead she only received a polite understanding.

"I would be more then glad to have you two ladies work for me. You wouldn't mind being a maid would you? I already have more then enough, but I still need a few more to help with the more… personal things." Sakura thought it through for a good few seconds and decided it was alright with her, though Tomoyo had a few comments of her own.

"A _maid_?" She asked in disgust. "I can't be a _maid_. It's not that I don't want to get my hands dirty or anything. It's just that I never did like those maid outfits. They're so…_dull_." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I'm sorry Sakura, but I don't think I want to be a maid, are you sure you want to? Cause we can both find somewhere else to work at together." Sakura sighed and looked at her best friend.

"Right now, this is the only thing I can get, and knowing me, it would take forever just to find something. Come on, this is our only chance." Tomoyo hesitated for a moment, thinking it over, then nodded in agreement.

"Whatever makes you happy Sakura." She sighed. Sakura smiled and turned back to the phone.

"Well, it looks like you'll only be having me work by your side. My friend has another job in mind for herself." She said, disappointed. Tomoyo opened her mouth to question, but thought better of it and remained silent

"That's fine. Oh, and how rude of me, I forgot to properly introduce myself. My name is Eriol Hiiragizawa. We are going to have to meet sometime soon to get everything set up." Sakura muttered a small "Yes, yes we will." and continued talking with him, finding out all the things she needed to know in order to plan out their meeting place. During the conversation, Eriol had mentioned the directions of how to get to his house, but then decided that he would have someone come pick her up instead. The conversation didn't last much longer and both he and Sakura hung up with smiles on their faces. He then turned around and grinned at Syaoran. "Looks like I have a new maid."

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The next morning Sakura was up extra early. She and Eriol, or whoever he was going to send to pick her up, had decided to meet at around nine o' clock that morning just so she could get there at a decent time. He planned to give her a proper tour of his house. She had to admit that she was a little nervous, she didn't even know what the guy looked like and yet there she was, already accepting a job offer. She was desperate though, so she figured she had no choice.

Getting dressed into a plain pink tank top and jean skirt, she had a quick breakfast brought up to her before she set off for the lobby where she would wait for him to arrive. It was already 8:48 and she had hoped that he would be a punctual guy and arrive on time. A few moments later, a limo drove up to the front of the hotel and Sakura looked out at it in wonder. A man dressed in black, clearly the limo driver, stepped out of the car and made his way into the hotel. At first sight he walked up to her, a smile spread across his face.

"Might you be Miss Kinomoto Sakura?" He asked charmingly. Sakura just nodded and stood up, straightening out her skirt.

"Yes, that would be me." The driver motioned towards the limo with his gloved white hand, still smiling.

"Mr. Hiiragizawa is waiting for you at his mansion."

_'Mansion?_ _No wonder he had a limo come pick me up.' _She thought. It was a little too much, but she didn't care. What she was worried about most was how big the house was. If he was going to have her do occasional dusting every now and then, she didn't want to have to climb staircase after staircase just to dust each room. And who knew how many rooms there were. _'Hoee...'_ She thought as she followed the driver out to the limo.

"Here you go Miss." He said politely, opening the door for her. She quickly peeked inside at the interior before stepping in. Ah, the smell of clean leather. She couldn't help but take in a deep breath. She really couldn't get enough.

"Excuse me, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how far is it to this mansion exactly?" The driver chuckled at her.

"It isn't very far. 15 minutes at the most." Sakura nodded in response and leaned back against the leather interior. Taking in one more deep breath of the fresh scent, she closed her eyes and unknowingly mumbled a few words out loud.

"Pudding..."

A few more minutes went by and she could already see the roads cut off and a beautiful wall of bushes appear. She could only guess that somewhere in the middle of all this was the mansion.

_'I wonder... if he'll like me. And I wonder if he's handsome. He sounded like it when I talked to him over the phone...'_ She began to doze off into her own little world when the driver suddenly stopped the car.

"We have arrived, Miss Kinomoto." He said, opening the door for her.

"Please, call me Sakura. There is no need for formalities." She smiled at him and he smiled also in return as he grasped her hand gently, helping her out of the limo. As soon as she looked up, her jaw hit rock bottom and a small 'wow' escaped her mouth. In front of her stood a huge mansion, bigger then any she had seen before. In fact, this was the _only_ mansion she had seen herself, with the exception of pictures. She began to follow the driver as he closed the car door and made his way up to the front entrance. She couldn't believe her eyes. The mansion was a dark shade of brown and had red bricks lining the outside where the trees, flowers, and bushes were beautifully planted. The green grass seemed endless as she walked by it. In every direction she looked, she saw nothing but green. It was wonderful.

"Please, come in." The driver said, snapping her back from the 'dream world' she had gotten lost in. "And since we're not being formal, I would like for you to call me Gerry." Sakura smiled up into his sincere, aged eyes.

'Alright, Gerry it is.' Before she hadn't noticed what he looked like, but now that the sun was directed at him, she could fully see who he was. He was clearly a man who looked no older then 35. He had caring black eyes with black hair as well, neatly cut short with no sideburns and was nicely combed back, giving him the 'sleek' look. His face still looked rather young, but she could see a few wrinkles on his forehead when he smiled or squinted. Something about him made Sakura so… comfortable, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because his personality reminded her of her father, Fujitaka. Loving and caring... he never seemed to be sad.

"If you need anything, just call for me and I will arrive immediately to tend to your needs." He said pilitely, gesturing for her to enter.

"Oh, but you don't have to..." Sakura protested, blushing slightly.

"It's alright. I insist." He said and he walked into the house after her. "Master Hiiragizawa, he is waiting for you in the guest room. Follow me please." Sakura nodded and walked after him, taking in the features of the mansion. Everything seemed so big inside. Almost every room was a big statue, either of something peaceful like birds sitting along the rim of a fountain, or something meaningful, like a mother holding her child. Every aspect of the house intrigued her, and she immediately felt as if she never wanted to leave. "Here we are. Master Eriol is awaiting your presence." Gerry said as he gently shut the door behind her when she entered the room.

She made sure that she was careful, afraid she might bump into something and break it. She walked across the carpet, noticing how her foot practically sunk into the floor with how soft the material was, until she saw one master chair which was bigger than the others. And right when she was about to say something, a broad figure stood up from the chair, facing her. Sakura couldn't help but gawk at how handsome he was.

"Miss Kinomoto, I presume?" He asked, walking over to her and kissing her hand gently. Again, so much like Syaoran. Sakura stuttered at a loss for words as she felt her cheeks heat up from the kiss.

"Y-Yes..."

"Please, take a seat."

She did as she was asked and took a seat across from him as he sat back down in his chair. "I'm glad you made it. I was hoping it wouldn't take too long for you to get here." He said, laying his arms on the red arm rests. Sakura started to stare again. She knew she was, but she somehow she couldn't help it. He was so handsome, and she knew he was as soon as she heard his voice on the phone. She fixed her eyes upon his face.

His silky black hair dangled over his eyes, giving him the dangerous/daring look. With his pale skin, adding a sense of clean and politeness to his features. She had to admit that he _was_ very handsome, but what captivated her most were his eyes. Yes, he did wear glasses, but that still couldn't hide the deep, dark stare he had. His piercing black eyes seemed to mold into her soul, and it gave her the shivers just looking into them. Funny how nearly everyone she had bumped into seemed to have black eyes…

"I was hoping it wouldn't take too long either." She choked out. Shaking herself out of her own trance she tried her best not to stare again, instead she looked everywhere else rather then at him and tried to keep her mind focused on the things at hand. "Now I believe you mentioned to me that you were going to give me a tour of your... utterly fascinating mansion."

He smiled at her comment and leaned forward. "Yes, that is correct. Would you like to get started right away? Or would you like to have a cup of tea first?" Sakura waved her hands in front of her, shaking her head in protest.

"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine I assure you."

"Well then, I guess we shall get started." He stood up and held out a hand for her to grasp. And without hesitation, she took it and stood up. "Let's start with the first floor first."

She nodded in acknowledgment, "May I ask you a quick question or two?" She asked innocently. Eriol nodded and continued walking out of the guest room.

"When will I start working?"

"Whenever is most convenient for you."

"Um… how long will I work for and what is the wage?" She felt embarrassed asking these questions, but she had to know. She was relieved to see that he didn't mind her questions at all. In fact, why hadn't she asked him these over the phone before?

"You will work from ten in the morning till nine in the evening. I hope that's not too late for you... or perhaps too early?" He asked, sounding truly concerned on whether she found it suitable.

"Oh no, it sounds perfect."

"That's good to hear. You will only have to work 4 days a week. I give all my employees Friday's off." He paused, "And you'll get 20 dollars an hour."

_'What a good man. Most people would never give their employees a day off out of pure kindness, and woah! He's willing to pay t-w-e-n-t-y dollars an house. Is he on something?_' She thought quietly. "Okay, that's all I wanted to know. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Miss Kinomoto... hm, may I call you Sakura?" He asked, walking down the hall.

"Yes, of course." She hesitated curiously, still following him.

"Sorry for my asking, forgive me if I was too forward, but I just so happen to like the way it rolls off my tongue." He smiled at her and regarded her blush as she looked down at the floor as she walked. He noticed this and smiled even more...though for some odd reason, the smile looked more like a smirk. She sure seemed to get flushed easily, how amusing. "As you well know, the room we were just in was the guest room. Now we're in the..." He went throughout all the rooms both downstairs and upstairs explaining what everything was, telling her how she was going to manage things, and what she was going to be doing.

It didn't seem like a lot of work, but hearing him say that she was going to have to go up and down the stairs to do the laundry and help make dinner made her feel exhausted, even though she wasn't even doing anything. Surely that wasn't all he was going to have her do, there was bound to be something more.

Finally, after going through room after room, they came to the last one. Sakura's feet were in pain and it made her wish she hadn't worn high heels.

"And this..." Eriol said, opening the door, "Is my bedroom." He opened the door all the way, exposing a room covered in blue and black. _'Must be his favorite colors.'_ She thought to herself, walking in. From left to right there was nothing but black and blue, it looked dim since the colors were dark, but it still made it seem peaceful. Then it hit her. She was walking around his bedroom... and knowing this made unexpected ideas bubble to the surface of her mind. Not all of them good...

"What a very nice room." She said, looking around. She was eager to leave this room as soon as possible, yet she didn't know why it made her feel so uncomfortable.

"Thank you." He said, walking into the room as well. "Now when you do the laundry, you'll have to replace the bed sheets, etc, as well as a little dusting here and there." Sakura let out a small groan and slouched a bit at his words. "But don't worry though. You won't have to do every room, just this one." He reassured her with a smile. "And that is that. The tour of the house is done and you may start whenever you'd like." He put a hand to Sakura's back, signaling that it was time to leave. Obediently she walked out of the room as he shut the door. "_Now_ would you like a cup of tea before you leave?" He asked in a polite tone. She laughed at his persistence.

"Of course, tea sounds great."

After watching Eriol walk down the stairs, Sakura saw some quick movement down the hall to her right. She looked over and saw Gerry looking through some rooms... and in quite a suspicious manner too. Sakura scrunched her eyebrows together in suspicion and called out to him as he shut another door.

"Gerry?"

Shocked at her voice, he quickly looked over and smiled. "Hello Sakura, do you need anything?"

"No... I'm fine. What were you doing?" She asked, trying to plaster on a fake smile to hide her suspicion.

"I was just looking through the rooms to see if everything was neat and tidy." He said, walking towards her.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering." She smiled once more as he started to make his way down the stairs, shortly after, Sakura followed.

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"Sakura, I'm glad we got to know each other better through tea." Eriol commented as he walked Sakura to the front door. She gave a little shrug and looked up at him.

"I'm glad we got to know each other better too. I can't wait to start working for you Mr. Hiiragizawa." She bowed politely as she turned around and started her way towards the limo. As soon as she walked to the end of the green thinly trimmed grass, she could clearly see Gerry waiting for her with the door open. The sun was just about to set and the black limo seemed to look darker… and scarier.

With a little hesitation, she got into the car. _'Gah, what am I thinking? He was doing nothing wrong, I shouldn't be overreacting.'_ She thought, slapping herself mentally. Gerry closed the door for her as soon as she got in and made his way to the other side, ready to take her back to her hotel. She didn't know what it was... but for some reason she couldn't help but feel that deep inside she couldn't trust him, no matter how much his personality made him remind her of her father.

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**A/N: Dun dun dun!! Alright, I know nothing much happened in this chapter with Tomoyo and Syaoran, but this chapter was just so you know what's going to be going on. The next chapters will be a lot more interesting. Sorry if this bores you. Until next time Ja ne!**


	5. Lets Play a little PeekABoo

**A/N:** **Here I am again, updating! I'm glad you all enjoy reading my fic, it makes me all giggly and happy and stuff...er...yeah. SO anyways I recieved your reviews and again I thank you. Seeing all your positive reactions encourages me to write more. :)**

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**To My Reviewers:**

**machanbanlover:** Here's your update, hehe. Enjoy!

**Deathtaker69:** Yeah it is isn't it? Heh I tried to think of a name that best suited an old guy who worked as a servant and stuff lol. Thanks for your review!

**Hikaru** **Ayumi:** Haha, he does sound like a rapist doesn't he? Oh well, the more you read, the more you'll get to see his real personality. ;) Enjoy!

**Strawberrylover:** Wow thanks, (blushes) I'm glad you like it! Really, hearing your nice reviews makes me so happy. Thanks for reviewing! (huggles)

**Kawaii** **Bell:** I tried to update as soon as I could and I did! Here's your chapter hehe, Hope you like it:)

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**I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura nor will I ever... sigh... I wish I did though. That'd be so awesome… (clears throat) So yeah, heh here's your next chapter. I tried to make it as interesting as possible without giving out _too_ much. Please read and review telling me what you think of it! **

_Too bad for those who just look at the summary and decide they don't like the story. But for those of you who are reading this, thank you. I swear I have a shocking surprise for you. (wink) And I truly hope that you'll all be around to see what it is. Mind you, there are a few surprises throughout the entire story, but the biggest and most shocking surprise will be at the end. Have fun! _

' ' (Thinking)

" " (Talking)

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**Chapter 5:**

_Let's Play a Little Peek-A-Boo!_

Gerry had already taken Sakura home for the night and had left her to think on her own. She still felt a bit uneasy about him, but tried not to let it get to her. She had just met him anyway, so there was no reason to get worked up about something that was surely nothing at all. Walking up to her room, she opened the door and, to no surprise, saw Tomoyo sitting on the couch reading a magazine quietly. As soon as she had walked in, she looked up from top of her pages.

"It took you that long just to go through a quick tour of the guy's house?" She asked, raising a beautifully groomed eyebrow.

"But you have _no_ idea, Tomoyo." Sakura said, sitting on the couch next to her before sliding her shoes off and massaging her feet. "His house isn't a house at all. It's a freakin' mansion. It's huge!"

"Oh, I see... Do you know what the maid outfits look like?" She wanted to know what kind of horrible material they were made out of and wondered if it was good enough for someone as fashionable as herself.

"They were actually pretty decent Tomoyo, they were black with cute little ruffly aprons in the front. Just like in that one favorite movie of yours... oh, what's it called..." Sakura closed her eyes and put her fingers to her temples, trying to think.

"Oh wow, really? Aw... and I lost my opportunity to try it on!" Tomoyo complained sadly. If she had known what they looked like _beforehand_, then she would have gladly accepted the job offer.

"Well he might still accept you. I can ask him if you want." Sakura continued massaging her feet. They were so sore from all the walking she had done she couldn't even feel her toes anymore.

"No, it's alright. I already found someone to work for at a nearby Beauty shop. I forgot the name, but I'll tell you once I find out." She said, offering a small smile. "Let me see if I like it there. If not, then I'll come crawling back to you and I'll be sure to look into your 'maid' position."

"Sure." Sakura agreed.

"Trust me, I promise to quit after the first few weeks. You can count on it." Sakura frowned and gave a long sigh. Standing up, holding her high-heeled shoes in her hand, she walked off towards the bedroom.

"Suit yourself." She said in surrender. Tomoyo shook her head and crawled into bed after following her into the bedroom. She was already dressed and it was going on eight. She had to go to bed early, for she had to be at work early the next day. Meanwhile, completely letting all sense of time freeze, Sakura had stepped into the bathtub, letting the warm velvety scented water engulf her body as she rested her head on a head pad. She had a feeling that the next few days... or weeks, were going to be a drastic change. She had gone on a trip to get away from having to work, but instead she found herself getting into even harder and more troublesome situations that consisted of her having to work twice as hard then she would normally have liked to.

It wasn't long before Sakura's thoughts started to wander. Soon enough she started to think about random things... home, getting a car, home again, then Syaoran. She smiled when she found herself thinking about him and she couldn't help but realize just how lucky she thought she was. He was handsome, smart, talented, sweet, and… did she mention handsome? She didn't think that someone like her would end up with someone like him. She loved the feeling. _'Oh no... are we going to spend time together if I'm working with his friend? He was the one who suggested I work there in the first place...' _She thought to herself. As a matter of fact, she hadn't seen him for a whole two days. It was beginning to get lonely without him. She wanted to feel his arms around her, hear her name whispered from his luscious lips... wait, what was she thinking?

"ZZzzZZZzZzzz..." Tomoyo was already fast asleep and Sakura was about ready to sink into the tub in her own drowsiness as well. But before she could, she interrupted her thoughts of Syaoran and stepped out of the tub. After draining all the water she turned around and grabbed her pink cotton towel that was on the towel rack and wrapped it around her small form.

_'I wonder if I can see him tomorrow.'_ She thought. Clearly her thoughts were back on Syaoran again, and she really couldn't do a thing to stop it. '_Come on Sakura. You can survive a week without seeing him. He's just a simple guy who, deep inside, is probably just opinionated, spoiled, bratty, difficult to please,' _There was a small sigh and a slight pause. _'Gorgeous, sweet, loving... perfect.'_ She slapped herself mentally to stop from going over the edge. It was hard enough just trying to stop thinking about him. Now she was longing to be in his embrace. Geeze, what men could do to women, it surprised her.

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Syaoran was lying in bed wide awake. It had been two days and still, nothing of interest was happening. He didn't hear of anything new that had to do with the 'bad guy' and he was starting to think that it would be a while longer before something big occurred. He was bored and wanted to go out, have fun, to do _something_. If it wasn't for this stupid mission he would still be at home laying in his four posted bed while looking at very interesting magazines of naked girls... motorcycles... Victoria's Secret, the normal stuff.

He rolled over onto his side, trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep in. Man, he didn't care what the hell it was, all he wanted was someone to call him and tell him that the mad man was on the loose so he could get off his ass and go after him. That seemed a lot more entertaining then just moping around the hotel suite all day.

"Damnit, what if all this investigating turns out to be a complete waste? I'm blaming it all on Dominic." He said aloud, closing his eyes in frustration. Within minutes he soon fell asleep, and it wasn't long either until he opened his eyes to the light of a new day.

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"I got it!" Sakura exclaimed while Tomoyo hopped around the room in her attempt to get dressed for work.

"Got what?" She asked. She only had ten minutes to leave, and she was never late. It would never happen.

"I'm going to surprise Syaoran today. Sound good?" Sakura was still lying in bed looking up at the ceiling in thought while Tomoyo had one arm through a sleeve and half a foot in a sock.

"Yeah, that's nice Sakura. Do you even know where to meet him? Where he lives?" She asked, wobbling.

"Oh... well I can ask Eriol. Surely he knows where he's staying." She ran to the phone and quickly dialed Eriol's number which she had, printed out on a card that he had given her. Tomoyo, on the other hand, was now brushing her teeth and hair both at the same time. And by the time Sakura was done getting directions from Eriol, she was already speeding out the door.

"See ya at four Sakura!" She said, slamming the door behind her. Sakura rolled her eyes and started to get dressed herself. She had told Eriol not to tell Syaoran she was coming over since she wanted it to be a surprise.

_'I wonder what he'll say once he finds me at his door.'_ She smiled to herself and happily started brushing her hair. It was so weird going through this crush phase again. The only time she had liked someone was when she was younger, and it was towards her brother's best friend, Yukito. She had gotten over him, probably because she never saw him anymore. But other then that, she loved having the feeling of loving someone and having them feel the same way. But then again she never truly knew what it felt like to have someone genuinely love her…

Putting on a coat and grabbing her purse, she walked out of the hotel room and made her way down to the main hall, though right when she was about to walk out to her car, the receptionist called her over.

"Sorry to bother you miss, but you wouldn't happen to be staying in room 117 are you? I just called but no one answered." Sakura grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm staying there with my friend Tomoyo. Why, is something wrong?" She asked, trying to sound confused. She had a feeling she was going to ask how long she was going to stay and when she would be able to pay up. But sadly, she wouldn't know how to answer, seeing as she didn't know how long they would remain and when they would earn enough money to spare.

"No, nothing's wrong. We were just wondering how long you and your friend would be staying with us, that's all." Sakura nearly fell over her own foot but managed to keep herself aloft.

"I don't know eheh... you see. My friend and I simply love this hotel and would love to stay here for the remainder of our trip." She lied. She didn't really think the hotel was all that great, but she had to think of some excuse to hide the fact they had no money to leave just yet. The receptionist smiled and nodded.

"That's wonderful. Stay as long as you like. We just wanted to know so we could mark it in the computers. Please enjoy, and have a great stay." Smiling, Sakura took that as her cue to go. So, taking the opportunity, she gave a polite 'thank you' before turning on her heel and rushing out the glass doors.

She sat on a bench once outside the hotel and sighed in despair. "The longer we stay, the more it's going to cost. I need some loot, and fast." She sighed again as she stood up and made her way towards her car. "Alright Syaoran, here I come."

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"I don't _care!_ As long as the mission gets completed, that's all that matters!" Syaoran yelled into his phone. He was talking to his boss and was obviously having a heated argument. He was pacing his room back and forth, trying to keep his temper on the low. That's what the problem was. whenever he would talk to his boss, he always felt the sudden urge to yell at him. It was the normal routine.

Sakura had just reached his hotel and was double checking the directions to see if she followed them correctly. It was almost too easy, the hotel was nearly five minutes away and she was glad to see she wouldn't have to travel so far just to see him. Getting out of her car, she walked through the front doors. This hotel was no doubt very expensive, every object inside looked to be at least half a grand individually. She couldn't help but gape at all of it.

"Look, don't you understand? I've never failed a mission since I became an agent, so don't give me this lecture crap about how I should do my job." Syaoran was definitely pissed. His boss was paranoid, thinking that something would go wrong and that he wouldn't fulfill his task. Clearly Syaoran didn't like the fact that after working for him for such a long time, he still didn't trust him. "Yes...Yes I know that. But that is no reason to blame all the past problems on me. I did exactly what you old me to do, nothing more. So don't even _think_ about telling me... what…? Probably, I don't see why not... Would you stop arguing with me?!"

Sakura continued making her way towards his suite. She had asked one of the kind receptionists at the front counter where he was staying and she gratefully gave her the room number. She was about to knock when she heard his voice. He didn't seem too happy and he was obviously upset at someone. That alone was enough to make her change her mind. She was about to turn around, thinking that it was a bad idea to have come to visit him in the first place when she heard her name. She stopped and scrunched her eyebrows together in wonder, pressing her ear against the door gently.

"No one will find out who I am. Not even my best friend... uh huh... yes I have my cover… I'm using a girl. Didn't I just tell you that…? I just said her name was Sakura you old fart!"

Sakura froze in her spot. What was he talking about? Was he some sort of criminal or was he a rapist who was trying to use her as a cover so no one would suspect it was him? She suddenly didn't feel very comfortable and wanted to run out of the hotel, but something held her back. Her curiosity to hear more of his conversation took the best of her and she decided to stay and listen. _'Let's play a little peek-a-boo, shall we?'_ She thought to herself as she leaned down to look underneath the door. She could see him walking back and forth across the room, his foot tapping the carpet every time he stopped.

"Don't worry about a thing. I'm just using her to keep my identity hidden… No, I won't fall in love with her you moron!" He hissed as he tried to keep his voice down. Sakura felt a cold stab of pain and frowned, still looking through the space beneath the floor and the door. "...No... Well there is no other way. I have to do this... Uh huh… Yes, I'll come back once I take care of him. Don't worry… Would you stop arguing with me?!" He yelled again. Sakura was too busy thinking about what he was saying to realize that he was approaching her. The only thing that brought her back to reality was the sound of his door opening. She looked up to see him standing in front of her, a shocked look on his face and the phone in his right hand.

_'Oh SHIT!'_ He thought to himself, seeing her surprised, disappointed face staring up at him. He meant to say something but instead she turned around and started running down the hall. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible after hearing him say something about killing someone. But before she could turn the corner and run into the elevator, strong arms grabbed her from behind and a large hand covered her mouth to prevent her from calling for help.

"Don't scream. I won't hurt you." He tried to reason, trying to drag her back towards his room. She ignored him and tried her best to pry his hands away from her mouth so she could scream. But it was no use, he was too strong for her and she felt so powerless in his steel grasp. Still trying to kick and push him away, he managed to bring her back into his suite. People from the other rooms poked their heads out into the hall to see what the commotion was about, but Syaoran simply ignored them and closed his door so they couldn't witness anything further.

"Mmhpphh!!" She groaned into his hand. She was still unable to scream properly and it seemed that he wasn't going to remove his hand unless she promised not to make a fuss.

"Stop trying to fight! I won't hurt you!" He tried again while she continued struggling against his grasp. She finally stopped moving, realizing that it was no use, and looked up at him instead. It was sad seeing her once smiling face turn into one of sheer horror. Syaoran couldn't help but feel bad at the way she was looking at him. He never wanted her to feel this way. "Listen, I'll only let go of you if you promise to not to scream." Sakura nodded her head frantically, still not taking her eyes off of him and he removed his hand. Almost immediately she screamed at the top of her lungs and he once again clasped his hand over her mouth. "Would you stop it!?" He hissed. "Nothing's going to happen to you, just calm down and tell me why you're freaking out." Of course he knew why she was acting up, but he still wanted to take his chances. Again, he slowly removed his hand and this time Sakura remained silent, though she was glaring at him with determined eyes. "Why are you acting like this, Sakura?" He asked again, hoping beyond hope that she had acted up over something other than his conversation.

"I heard everything, you swine!" She seethed in a deathly tone. Syaoran's face turned pale and he nearly dropped the phone.

"You heard...?"

"Yes, I heard everything you said over the phone. Don't try to pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about." She spoke braver then she felt, deep inside she was scared, wondering what he would do now that she knew what his plans were.

"I see," He began, "Well, there's only one thing we can do about this." He calmly put the phone down onto the coffee table and Sakura backed away nervously.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, her voice shaking with uneasiness. Without notice, he pushed her down onto the couch and kneeled down in front of her so she couldn't move.

"Sakura, you weren't meant to hear that. I had no idea that you were coming over." He admitted, running a hand through his hair. "So what I'm going to do is tell you exactly who I am and explain to you what you heard." She looked at him, still a bit frightened and more then just nervous, but remained silent as he spoke. "I'm a spy Sakura. I was sent here to find a man who is searching for something dangerous. We don't know who he is but it is my job to find him before he discovers what we're trying to keep him away from. The person I was talking to over the phone was my boss, Dominic, head of the FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation." Sakura looked confused on top of all the emotions she was experiencing. Syaoran noticed this and took her hands in his as a sign of comfort. "Don't take this so lightly Sakura. There have been eight murders from just him alone. He killed them because they found out part of his plan, he doesn't want anyone else other then those who follow him to know, which is why I'm trying to keep my identity hidden." Sakura frowned, suddenly remembering what he had said earlier.

_"Don't worry about a thing. I'm just using her to keep my identity hidden, I won't fall in love with her..." _

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She asked quietly. "Why? What are you going to do now that I know everything about your... mission? Is that what you 'spys' call it?" Syaoran stood up and crossed his arms as he felt his irritation grow to a dangerously high level.

"You'll see. Now that you know my secret, you're going to do me a favor. I can't let you off the hook with all that good info in your head. So I'm going to make you into my diversion." He rubbed his forehead in thought as he debated on whether telling her all of this was a good idea or not. "I will admit I was using you solely to keep my identity hidden, and that isn't going to change. You will remain doing so until we find this guy."

"Wait, we? Why _we_? _YOU'RE_ the one that's going to find him, keep me out of this." She argued, standing up from the couch, glaring at him. "And I don't _want_ to be your _stupid_ identity... hider... person. You can go to hell!" Syaoran glowered at her and grabbed her arm painfully.

"You _will_ do this, or face the consequences. I am not going to let you go knowing that you know too much about all that's happening. You are going to stay here and do this mission with me, and then after all this is through, you can go and live a normal life again."

"Ow, you're hurting me. Let go!" She cried, trying to jerk her arm away. He ignored her and only gripped tighter.

"And if you decide to tell anyone, they won't believe you unless you have proof. Or if so, then I'll be sure that you regret it. So which is it? Leave and suffer the consequences, or stay and work this all out with me?"

She wanted neither. She just wished she had never come to visit him, that she had never heard his conversation. But, realizing she had no choice, she looked up into his eyes and nodded her head slowly.

Syaoran offered a small smile, which looked more like a smirk instead of something pleasant. "Excellent. You will be staying with me for the night. I don't trust having you leave all by yourself." He said, picking up the phone and handing it to her. "Call your friend and tell her you're going to be staying with me for a while."

"I can't do that! She'll be alone at the hotel room." She clenched her fists at her sides, trying to summon up more of her courage to argue against him. "I can't just call her and say, 'Oh yeah, hi Tomoyo! Listen, I'm going to be staying with Syaoran for the rest of my life. Have fun!"

"Well, that's your fault. This wouldn't be happening if you hadn't dropped by." He smirked, knowing he was right. Sakura looked at the ground in defeat. All she wanted to do was slap that ridiculously disgusting look off his smug face and be done with this nonsense. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't an option to be given.

"It's such short notice, I should be able to tell her to her face and actually give her a good reason. What will I tell her once she asks me why I'm doing this?" She asked. Syaoran shrugged his shoulders and walked off into the kitchen.

"I don't know. You think of something, she's your friend."

_'You asshole.'_ She thought, glaring at his back. _'I really liked you... but now I see what your true side is. I made a big mistake, a **big** mistake.'_ She picked up the phone and started dialing Tomoyo's cell.

"Hello?" Tomoyo picked up.

"Hey. It's me... I need to tell you something, and it can't wait." Sakura said quickly. She knew Syaoran was listening from far away and didn't chance saying something he wouldn't approve of.

"Sakura... what's wrong? You sound like you're in trouble. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. But um... gah how do I put this? Tomoyo, I'm here with Syaoran and I won't be coming back." There was a pause, then an explosion of laughter.

"Oh, that's it? Wow you really had me going... and _already_? But you just met him! Sakura, I never knew you would go that far within..."

"What? NO-NO-NO it's not that!" She tried to explain. "That isn't the reason why I'm staying here. I can't tell you though... but all I can say is that I won't be back for a while. Don't worry about me, okay?" She looked at Syaoran who was slowly… slowly chewing piece of sandwich while staring at her, as if he didn't want to hear himself chew. If it were a different situation, she would have thought he looked funny. But at the moment, it was no time to be laughing.

Tomoyo gave a sarcastic laugh, clearly stating that she didn't believe her. "You're joking right? You can't just all of a sudden decide to stay with him... what about the hotel?"

"I know but..."

"Heh… you honestly can't be serious." She was beginning to panic. "How am I going to be able to stay here by myself? Sakura, you have to come back!"

"Listen. I _will_ come back, I promise. But I can't right now for reasons I can't explain. I promise to call you again later, please forgive me…" Then she hung up, glaring at Syaoran who had just taken another bite of his sandwich. She threw the phone at the wall angrily, nearly making a hole in its wake.

"Hey-hey-hey! What was that for?!" He yelled, with food still in his mouth. He walked over to the wall and touched the spot with his fingers. Sakura simply ignored him and walked into the bedroom. "Huh? Wait!" He called out to her, swallowing his food quickly. "Oh-no you don't, don't you think of going in there!" But it was too late, Sakura had walked in and locked the door. He couldn't get in. "Dammit!" he yelled, kicking the door. "Why are women so irritating!?"

"I should be asking _you_ the same thing!" Sakura yelled from the other side, kicking the door back after he had kicked it.

"Shut up! Just, shut up! You're starting to become a pain in my ass!" He yelled, plopping onto the couch, his anger literally radiating off of him.

"You're already a pain in my ass!" Sakura retorted. Syaoran thought it best to stop while he was ahead to prevent anymore arguing. There was no point in arguing with a woman, no point at all.

_'Damn you Sakura. After all this is over, I swear I'm going to enjoy watching you walk out of my life."_

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**A/N:** **Poor Sayo and Saku. You know, it almost _seems_ like they will never get along... note: I emphasize the word 'seems'. :P Please no flames. This is just the beginning of a beautiful and blossoming relationship! Hope you enjoyed this chapter heh, Ja ne!**


	6. Damn You Syaoran

**A/N:** **Now things are going to get interesting. Sakura now knows who Syaoran really is and now Syaoran has to do everything he can to keep her from telling anyone. Oh yes, I must say that this is getting interesting indeed. And once again, thank you for your reviews! I hope you like this chapter hehe.**

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_**Reviews:**_

**Strawberrylover:** Thank you so much! I always see your reviews with each chapter I upload, along with my other stories too. I'm so glad you like my fics and I thank you for taking your time to review. Lots of luv! (huggles)

**obliviondragon:** Hehe I will. :)

**Deathtaker69:** Hehe thanks, I'm glad you like it! Thank you for reviewing and here's your update. :)

**kat-woman-85:** Kay, here ya go. An update especially for reviewers like you! Hope ya like it!

**kenshinlover2002:** Hmm, all I can say is that I don't know (though really I do) I don't want to spoil what happens in the story :P The only way to find out is if you continue reading mwuahaha! All I will say though is that Sakura will continue working for Eriol, but just wait and find out what happens. Thanks for reviewing!

**MewMewPower389:** Haha yeah you're right. Couples do fight so their argument seems normal doesn't it? Hehe thanks for reading my story and I hope you like this chapter, enjoy:D

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**Chapter 6:** _Damn You Syaoran!_

Sakura kept herself locked in Syaoran's bedroom all night and planned on staying there till noon the next day. She was still ticked off at him and she wasn't going to give in, no matter how much he yelled at her.

"Dammit Sakura! Would you come out of my room?" He exclaimed, banging on the door with his fist.

"Kiss. My. Ass!" She yelled from the other side. He groaned in anger and grabbed a fist-full of his own hair and threatened to yank as hard as he could. She wasn't making things very easy for him.

"Why are you being so childish, just come out so we can sort all this out." He pleaded, leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door. Naturally she didn't answer and his face boiled red in anger. "Stop acting like a bi..."

"Would you stop trying? There's no way I'm going to give in to you!" She said, crossing her arms.

"FINE!" He hit the door once more and stomped towards the coat rack, grabbing his black leather jacket and then threw open the front door. Sakura could hear wood on wood bang against the wall from where she was and pressed her ear against the door to see if she could still tell if he was there.

'_Is he... still outside?' _She thought, slowly grasping the doorknob and turning it… ever so slightly. She couldn't hear a thing and figured that he had left. Her senses were now acute and she opened the door a crack, looking out into the empty room with one eye. She immediately checked to see if he was standing anywhere nearby. He wasn't. She looked left to see if he was hiding. He wasn't. Then she looked to her right, now convinced that he had left the room for good, but as soon as she opened the door more, she screamed in surprise when Syaoran whirled around the corner, busting the door open and lunging inside to grasp her.

"Let go of me!" She yelled, struggling against his steel hold. It didn't help much though; her pleas only made him tighten his grasp on her. She could only groan in defeat.

"Yeah, you're smirking now, but I assure you you'd think differently once I run over you with my car." She threatened, glaring up at him. He merely grinned more at her pathetic retort.

"Hm, where have I heard that before?" Sakura muffled a curse at him before she tried to free one of her hands to slap him with, though he was too fast and he grabbed her wrist before she could make contact with his face. He thought he had won the argument, but unfortunately, he was sadly mistaken. Although he was holding her right hand, her other hand was free to do as she pleased, and before he could realize what she was doing, palm met cheek as she swung up and smacked him with all her strength. He doubled backwards, holding his hand to the side of his face in temporary pain.

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't have balls." She stated, then swiftly lifted her knee and kneed him in the groin. She managed to earn herself a howl this time, and she Stepped over him after he wobbled to the floor. She almost felt bad as she eyed him intently, watching as he held his groin in renewed pain.

"You aren't going anywhere!" He choked out, looking up at her from where he lay. She blew him a sarcastic kiss and turned on her heel towards the door.

"Watch me." She dared before she opened the door. Right when she was about to walk out of the room, strong arms pulled her back and, once again, shut the door. Though this time, catching her finger in the process. "OW!" She screamed in agony as she desperately opened the door to pull her finger back. Tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes as she looked at her flattened finger.

"Oops, I'm sorry!" He apologized. He actually would have seemed sincere… if it wasn't for the smug look that followed. "Teaches you to keep your fingers out of places they aren't supposed to be." Hearing his words, she turned around to face him

"YOU!" She growled, pointing her injured finger at him menacingly. He stepped back, suddenly a little afraid, he had never seen her that pissed before. "_YOU_ have _NO_ right to keep me here! I should be able to leave whenever I want! AND LOOK, LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!" She said, tears still threatening to fall.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." He took a hold of her finger gently with his hands. Sakura sniffed, wiped away a stray tear, and watched him curiously as he motioned her to follow him into the kitchen. "Here, this should help." He said as he ran her finger under the faucet, letting the cold water run over her fingertip. The throbbing seemed to die down and the pain was barely even there anymore. He sure was full of surprises. Slightly amused and a bit intrigued at his sudden gentleness she looked up at him, the fire in her eyes had disappeared and her emerald pools were once again bright and beautiful. "See? All better." He said, and dried her finger off with a dishtowel, afterwards letting go of her hand while she continued to look up at him.

"Hmph, how can you switch back and forth between personalities with like that? One minute you're an ass, the next you're the sweetest guy I've ever met. Which is it?" She said, snapping out of her trance and making her way back to the couch as if she was still upset. He simply shrugged.

"I can be both, actually." He took a seat next to her, only to watch blankly as she scooted all the way to the other side. Though of course… he scooted down beside her again, thigh against thigh. "Or I could be the sweetest, most charming man you've ever laid eyes on." He purposefully ran a finger up her upper arm, knowing that it made her feel uneasy. "Whichever you prefer, dearest." He smiled the same handsome smile she had seen the first time they met, and it did indeed make her feel uneasy.

"Get off me!" She grumbled in disgust, slapping him away with her hands before jumping up from the couch to maintain their distance.

"What if I don't want to? What if I-"

"You're so stupid!"

"So are you."

"I hate you."

"Hate that may blossom into love."

"Not in my book, it won't!"

"Will too, it happens to all the women I meet."

"You're a pig."

"Look who's talking. If only you could see yourself eat..."

"SHUT UP!"

"Why?"

"Because I said so!"

"Hm, funny how you think you can tell me what to do…"

"Would you stop talking back to me!"

"Would you stop talking period?"

Sakura had just about had enough. Instead of attempting to hit him again, she regained her posture, her eyes narrowed as she stared down at the coffee table in front of her.

"You can't keep me here forever, you know." She said calmly.

"Yeah I know, and I don't tend to either. Being here with you is a nightmare... not like I don't already have enough of those with you around adding to them." He threw his head back as he rumbled with laugher, ignoring Sakura as she fumed. This time she didn't miss her opportunity to strike at him again. While he continued roaring at the ceiling with his eyes closed, she cracked her knuckles, clenched a fist, and swung at him. Apparently she had a pretty decent punch too, for he automatically stopped laughing and held a hand to his jaw both in shock and in pain.

"Serves you right," She said, hoping that her expression was that of bravado rather then fear of what he could do to her next. All he did was stare at her though, his eyes void of emotion. He couldn't believe she had just hit him. Oddly enough though, he smiled as if she had given him roses instead a knuckle to the bone.

"Why are you giving me that look?" She asked, feeling awkward. She had just punched him in the face and yet here he was, smiling about it. She would never understand him.

"You have a pretty decent punch, Sakura." He said, rubbing his chin gently while looking at her. "That's another reason why I should have you with me on this mission."

"Over my dead body. I'm not helping you with anything." She answered stubbornly, "I'm going to pretend to be your disguise and nothing more. NOTHING more, got it?" She emphasized and edged away from him as much as she could, though only found herself against a nearby wall.

"_Darling_..." He gritted sarcastically, standing up from the sofa. "You really have no choice. You're going to help me whether you like it or not, seeing as you know what my plan is. We've already been through this."

"Who cares! I'm not some _puppet_ you can dangle around your finger at every whim!" She pointed a finger in his face. He looked at her, then at her finger, and back at her again before jokingly snapping at her fingertip with his teeth. She squealed and quickly pulled her hand away while he sniggered with laughter again.

"Is that so? Fine, you aren't a puppet... you're a _mannequin_." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front door.

"Where are we going?" She asked nervously, nearly stumbling over her own feet in his haste.

"Somewhere, but there's no need to be scared, I can't afford to have you die on me yet." He said opening the door and pulling her out with him.

"Hey! What happened to the me-not-being-your-puppet thing? I am NOT your mannequin!" She ran as she tried to keep up with him. "And what do you mean, _yet_?!"

He smirked.

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"I can't believe you forced me to do that." Sakura said testily, patting her cheeks as they flushed pink.

"You would have done it anyway." He said, walking out of the bar to the parking lot with her at his side.

"You're really confident about yourself, aren't you? Are you really that self-centered?" She shook her head in disgust while she watched him walk on casually. "I can't believe how perfect you think you are. You are _the_ most annoying, conceited, stuck up, obnoxious, and most opinionated person I've ever met."

"Thanks." He said, half-heartedly.

"Don't mention it."

"You hate me that much?" He opened the car door for her.

"You bet your muffins I do."

He rolled his eyes and walked around to the other side, sliding into the car as well. He had taken her to a nearby bar in hopes of getting her drunk enough to stop yelling at him. His plan hadn't worked out too well though... She had gotten drunk, yes, but instead of relenting, she only yelled at him even more. Clearly he had made a mistake, but with how clever his brilliant mind was, he had thought of a different way to silence her. Walking out to the middle of the dance floor, he had dragged her along as she struggled against him, and everyone watched in question as he tried to dance with her. Naturally she fought like she had before, but right when she was about to slap him again, he grabbed her wrist with one hand and pulled her up against him with the other as he captured her mouth with his. Everyone who was watching laughed and applauded before they started dancing once again. Sakura seemed to be remotely silent after that, but sadly she had started babbling again as soon as they exited the bar.

"Can you drop me off at my hotel so I can see Tomoyo?" She asked as he flared the ignition.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't trust you."

"You're stupid." She said, a quick hic-cup escaping her lips.

"Just be quiet, you're drunk and you really, _really _don't sound all that smart right now." He said, growing annoyed with her attitude. He couldn't take her yelling, her talking, her screaming, and all of her complaining anymore. She was giving him a headache... But it was rather amusing in a way, she reminded him so much of himself.

"Look at you, trying to get me to shut up by taking me to a bar and getting me drunk. Well it isn't going to work BUB, I'm going to bug you for the rest of your life until you finally decide to let me go." She drunkenly threw her hands in the air as she argued, then slumped back into her seat, hiccupping some more. Syaoran tried his best not to smile and focused more on looking serious, but her current state was so hilarious, not even a professional actor could keep himself from laughing.

"Just shut your mouth, at least while I take you home." He said rudely.

"No! You can't tell me what to do! I am my _own_ woman and I will do what I please! Don't even think about telling... telling me... to..." Before he knew it, he felt a sudden weight in his lap and then a soft moan. He looked down to see that she had passed out and was unconsciously twiddling with the end of his shirt. Probably like how she always did with her pillowcases when she slept.

He smiled widely. He had finally shut her up! Even if it was only five minutes of pure silence, anything was good enough for him so long as she stayed asleep.

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"Gerry, could you please fetch me a glass of water?" Eriol asked as he arranged papers around his desk. He had been working all day researching, paying bills, finishing reports and files that he was to finalize for his connections. He was the boss of a major international company which traded, sold, and exported thousands of different items and objects. There was so much to do, and each day he received letter after letter of recommendations.

His butler did as he was asked without complaint and left the room, making his way down to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass and filling it with water, he hesitantly dropped two white pills into the liquid and watched as they dissolved. After checking to see of no remaining proof of the pills, he ascended back up the staircase to Eriol's office.

"I wonder what's taking him so long." Eriol thought aloud as he began arranging his papers back in order. Moments later Gerry had arrived with the glass of water in hand.

"Your drink, sir," He said respectfully. Eriol smiled and took the glass from him, though he stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Is something wrong, sir?" Gerry asked as he noticed Eriol's odd look.

"Did you put anything in this?" He asked curiously, bringing the glass up to his nose and sniffing it.

"Of course not, nothing out of the ordinary, sir." He answered, "Just a few pills to ease your mind so you can sleep thoroughly tonight." Eriol's expression shifted into that of a smile and he rose from his table, patting his butler on the shoulder.

"You're right, old friend, thanks for your concern." He stifled a yawn before walking towards the door. Gerry remained though, hastily darting his eyes around the desk before Eriol turned around. "And thank you for the water, Gerry." He said, glancing over his shoulder. Gerry had quickly looked back, trying his best not to look suspicious and simply bowed.

"You're most welcome, sir." He replied, still bowing slightly. He knew now wasn't the time for his search and walked out of the door after Eriol. Shutting the door softly, Eriol locked the door with his key and returned it to his pocket.

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_'Wow… I had no idea she was so light.'_ Syaoran thought as he carried Sakura back to his hotel room. She was still out cold and was sleeping soundly as he kicked the front door open. It was already near twelve that night Syaoran knew, for the clock was the first thing he glanced at as soon as he entered the room. He walked over to the couch and was ready to lay her down when she moaned suddenly. He slowed his movement and looked down at her as he stared at her peaceful features. He felt guilty about bringing someone as innocent as her into a situation such as this, but then again he wasn't really expecting to have to tell her about much of what was going on anyways. Having second thoughts about laying her on the couch, he sighed and made his way towards his bedroom. She made no struggle as he laid her beneath his bedcovers and he couldn't help but curse at himself for allowing himself to do this.

Walking out of the bedroom and quietly closing the door behind him, he walked over to the kitchen and helped himself to another beer.

"I can't believe I'm letting her sleep in my bed. I should have left her here on these lumpy pillows." He complained to himself, rolling over onto his side as he lay down. Soon enough his eyes drooped closed and he fell asleep. Hopefully she wouldn't wake up anytime soon… he groaned at the thought and fell into peaceful oblivion.

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"Syaoran... there's something you should know, there's something I want to tell you." Sakura said, walking up to him nervously. Not knowing what to think, he merely turned around and faced her, his eyes questioning her as he looked her over.

"What is it, Sakura?" He asked. She looked at him with pleading eyes and clenched her fists to her chest.

"I think..." She hesitated. "Syaoran, I think... that I may be falling in love with you." She looked down at her fists, flushed at hearing her own words and had the sudden urge to turn away from him. His lips parted as he tried to think of something to say… after hearing her admit herself to being in love with him, all his feelings for her suddenly changed. For some reason he didn't hate her like he did before, instead a new feeling arose, a feeling that he wasn't familiar with. "Please..." She pleaded. He stood up and looked down at her, and she turned around to face him again as she stepped closer to him, taking his shirt into her little fists. "Kiss me..." She asked, her eyes filled with desire.

"Sakura, I..." He began. But before he could finish she reached up, silencing him with two of her fingers, and without warning she stood on the tips of her toes and brushed her lips over his passionately. He didn't know what to do but kiss her back. This feeling... he had never felt anything like this before. It was overwhelming.

Wrapping his arms around her slim waist, he pulled her up against him as he deepened their kiss. All of this time he thought that he had hated her, that he had never wanted anything to do with her... but here he was, kissing her like he had kissed no other. He laid her down onto the sofa and crawled on top of her.

"Syaoran..." She whimpered longingly. Hearing her say his name in such a way opened a new door of emotions to him. Suddenly he felt like he could no longer contain in his need, his desire. He leaned in for another kiss and trailed a hand down her side, feeling the loose fabric of her nightgown underneath his fingers, and then...

----

"Would you stop moaning? That's so gross!" Sakura yelled, waking him up from his slumber. Apparently it was morning and she had been watching over him for quite a while, hearing the noises that he was unconsciously making. His eyes shot open and he looked around, squinting from the sunlight.

"Why are you yelling? What'd I do?" He asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. She raised an eyebrow and stared at him.

"You were moaning," she said, then frowned in disgust. "You were probably having a wet dream… I bet you have those often."

Syaoran blinked in confusion as he watched her disappear into the kitchen. What was she talking about? Then realization hit him and he grew silent.

'_What a strange dream.'_ He ran a hand through his hair. '_Unfortunately no one can control what happens when asleep…' _It wasn't a big deal, having that dream. He had already admitted to himself that she was cute. But he also convinced himself that he wouldn't get too close to her, and he was going to bind himself to his decision.

"Well? Are we going to have breakfast brought up or are we going for fast food?" She asked, looking into the refrigerator.

"Uh, I guess I can go get something." He stood up and grabbed his car keys. He wasn't really in the mood to go out, but he did want some time alone. Such a strange dream…

"You're going out looking like that? You just woke up, aren't you going to brush your teeth or anything?" She asked, slightly disgusted. He grabbed a jacket and opened the front door. Ignoring her call, he closed the door behind him and he walked off down the hall alone.

Rolling her eyes Sakura sat down on the couch and looked around. She was bored, surely there had to be something to do around this crummy place.

"Geeze, what does he do in his spare time?" She was looking around the counters and shelves, along with the drawers in the kitchen when she happened to come across a pile of magazines. Picking them up she read the covers off each one and sighed… they were all playboy magazines. "Why am I not surprised?" For some reason she brought them back with her to the sofa where she sat and pulled her legs up beneath her as she browsed through them one by one. It didn't take long before she had finished looking through one of the magazines, bewildered at how some of the girls managed to slide into those outfits. Some of the clothing was so tight she figured the models were probably bulimic... "How interesting," She said and turned the magazine to the side to look at it in more detail.

There was a sudden knock at the door a while later. Sakura had managed to bolt through most of the magazines by then and wasn't entirely repulsed by what she had seen, in fact, it fascinated her. She continued to look through the current magazine she was holding when Syaoran walked into the room, holding a bag of burgers.

"Geeze Sakura, way to open the door for me…" He said, walking towards her. "Here, try not to eat all of th... what are you doing!? " He dropped the food and ran over to her, grabbing the magazines out of her hands.

"What is it? Embarrassed that I found your secret stash of dirty magazines?" She snorted smartly. Syaoran turned away and replaced all the magazines back into the drawer they had come from.

"_Never _snoop through a man's belongings!"

"Well _excuse_ ME!" She yelled, glaring at him. "Perhaps you've forgotten. I'm staying here now, there's nothing for me to do!"

"Yeah well _find_ something to do!" He said, walking back to the burgers and picking them up. "Here, why don't you occupy yourself with these? And please, get fat while you're at it." He threw the burgers at her and she shielded herself with her arms as they bounced off her and onto the couch beside her. Her cheeks flushed in anger at his comment, and she clenched her fists at her sides. "Oh, my apologies, please get fat-_TER_ while you're at it!"

Sakura launched herself from the sofa, ready to rip his throat out with her own bare hands. "You jerk! You expect me to sit here in this stupid hotel room with nothing to do while you go out and have fun?"

"Precisely." He answered, taking a bite out of his food. "And assuming you don't want your burger, I'll just save it so I can eat it later." Sakura glared at him as she watched him stuff her burger back into the bag.

"Give that to me." She grabbed the bag out of his hands, not willing to admit to defeat like all the other times before. "Jerk," Syaoran fought back a laugh and grinned as he chewed. Disgusted, she stuck her tongue out at him and walked towards his bedroom door.

"Ea' it slo' ya monsther." He called out to her, food flying out of his mouth as he spoke. He fought even harder to hold back his laughter when she slammed the door behind her.

With all joking aside, she could feel her hatred towards him grow stronger the more she was forced to be around him. How long was he going to keep her here for? Maybe one of these times he would forget to lock the door and leave it open? God she hated him…

"If only I could find a way to call Tomoyo..." She smiled wide at a sudden thought and threw her burger aside. There was no way Syaoran was going to stop her from contacting Tomoyo.

"I hope she stays in there." Syaoran said to himself, then turned towards the kitchen. Soon after, Sakura opened the door, peeking out into the room to see if he was anywhere nearby. Fortunately for her, he wasn't, he was facing away from the phone washing his hands in the sink while he talked to himself like an idiot. Her grin grew wider and she tip-toed out of the bedroom. She immediately started towards the phone, but if she wasn't careful he would turn around and catch her. Why hadn't she thought of this before? She hated her own stupidity… if she despised being here with him so much, then why was it so hard for her to come up with good escape plans?

"Gotcha," she whispered as she picked up the phone. Syaoran had dried his hands off on a towel and had turned around; catching her red-handed like she dreaded he would.

"What? Don't even think about it!" He said, ready to lunge out and grab the phone from her.

She quickly clutched the phone to her chest and darted towards the bathroom. Syaoran seethed under his breath and threw the towel to the side as he dashed after her, though sadly she had made it into the bathroom before he could get a hold of her. "Haha! Sucker!" she laughed through the door.

"Give me the phone, Sakura! Don't do anything stupid!" He called to her as he tried to get the door open. He wracked his brain for a solution and reached into his pocket for a paper clip to pick the lock with. He wasn't a spy for nothing.

"I'm going to call Tomoyo and tell her everything!" She held up the phone and began dialing Tomoyo's cell.

"Sakura, you can't!" He yelled, trying to open the door as he stalled for time. "You're making a big mistake."

"I already made a big mistake by ever meeting you in the first place!" She was about finished punching in the digits when it began to ring on its own.

She blinked in surprise. What were the chances of someone else calling at a time like this? "Uh, hello?" She answered.

Syaoran's heart flipped in his chest. "Who is it? Don't tell them anything!" He had finished bending the clip into a key and stuck it into the keyhole, moving it this way and that as he listened for a 'click'.

"Oh, hi Eriol!" Sakura said in sudden excitement. If anyone could help her, it was definitely him. She could hear Syaoran picking at the doorknob and she jumped for the doorhandle, holding her finger against the lock button so he couldn't unlock it.

"Shit..." He said, defeated. Also, his friend just _had_ to choose the worst time to call. "I'm not going to let her tell him anything, she'll ruin all my plans." He mumbled. This time instead of trying the knob he began banging against the door with his body, willing to break it down if he had to. "Open the door Sakura!" He yelled.

_'He's going to break the freaking door!' She thought in panic._

"I'm coming in!" He banged again.

"Hey Eriol, I need your hel… Oh? Yeah... I understand. I can come over now if you like, but I really need to tell you someth… Alright, that's great. Thanks, see you soon..." She had tried to explain to Eriol what was happening, but unfortunately she wasn't able to. He seemed too much in a hurry and barely let her say anything at all. She hung up and was about to open the door, but right when she did so, Syaoran pushed all of his body weight into his next lunge and ended up falling as the door flew open with Sakura standing in the place of where the door was supposed to be. Her eyes widened in horror as she tried to brace herself for his sudden impact, but failed. Instead he fell right on top of her, the both of them landing on the tile roughly.

"What did you tell him?" He asked, his voice on the verge of yelling as he stared her in the eyes. She looked up at him lazily.

"I didn't tell him anything. He called to see if I could come over today, I told him I could." She answered, with the phone still in her hand. There was an awkward silence and she suddenly realized the position they were in. "Get off me!" She pushed his body off her and she struggled to pull herself up, grasping the phone in her hand as she reached up to the bathroom counter for assistance.

"I _really_ don't trust you anymore, Sakura." He said, leaning against the wall as he stood.

"Well if none of this happened, you wouldn't be going through all this crap, and neither would I." She stated. And she was right, but it was still her fault for choosing to visit him that day…

"Yeah well if you hadn't come to that restaurant then I wouldn't have met you!" His voice rose dramatically as he stared her down. She seemed to grow silent at that comment and her expression softened.

"I wish I had never met you either..." She whispered, then turned around and walked out of the bathroom, leaving him alone to think. Syaoran was shocked, was she sad about what he just said? Didn't she hate him? He looked at where she had stood, his eyebrows furrowed together in anger as he noticed her make her way to the front door. "He's going to pick me up at the front. Come with me if you don't trust me, but believe it or not, I can't run away... I'm too _annoying_ for anyone take me in." She said sarcastically before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Syaoran suddenly felt guilty. He stared at the front door and began to think some more. Was her hating him just an act that she was playing? Maybe she actually had feelings for him. Maybe she wanted to hide it? He didn't know the answers to any of his own questions, and at the moment he was confused. The last thing he wanted to do was think on it anymore. Sakura... she wasn't like any other woman he had met. She was different and yes, challenging, but that's what made her unique. He sighed to himself.

"There's so much I need to learn about you Sakura, and I'll figure you out one of these days. One of these days…"

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**A/N:** **Finished with this chapter! I wasn't allowed to upload anything new for a whole week, so I took that time to write new chapters for all of my stories! This was the last one I happened to finish in time and so I decided to upload all of my new chapters all in the same day. Though now I'm going to be taking a small break to think about how I can make my stories and chapters more interesting. Sorry if I make you wait too long! And again, please read and review. :)**


	7. Curiosity Killed the Cat

**A/N:** Hi you guys, I'm back and with more for you to read. Sorry for taking so long, my computer went all wack. Anyway I'm going to try to make my chapters longer with more info in them since now I'm going to be having Sakura at Eriol's mansion more often. Just thought it would be better. Annnd thank you for all of your kind and wonderful reviews. Without you guys this story wouldn't be going anywhere, I really appreciate it.

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_**To My Reviewers:**_

**kenshinlover2002:** Lol I knew the little love hits from Sakura would be good for the story, I'm glad you liked it. And as for Eriol and the butler...you'll find out in time. :) Thanks for readin!

**Strawberrylover:** Tehe, again thank you:) And the the Eriol and butler situation IS a little fishy isn't it? Mwahaha, sorry to keep you curious but you'll see what happens in time. Here's your chapter! (huggles)

**ClassicElfRyoko:** Here's your new updated chapter. Hope you enjoy!

**obliviandragon:** I see. Well I intend to finish this fic, it'll just take a while since I have two other stories I have to update too. Sorry for keeping you waiting and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

**EKoolcat369:** Okay okay okay lol. I'm glad you like my fic. Here's your update! (smiles)

**Beautiful Lei:** Yeah I know. Kinda sad isn't it? Oh well, think on the bright side. Things might turn out better later on...tehehe you'll never know. Thanks for reviewing. :)

_Thanks you guys for your reviews! Even if it's just a few, I'm still glad that people like this fic which is why I'm going to continue. So don't expect me to give up anytime soon. Also there's a shocking ending and I hope you all stick around long enough to see what it is. Thanks and RR!_

**Oh and If I have any problems or corrections I need to make then please feel free to tell me what they are and I'll gladly fix them. Besides, who likes a story with lots of errors:)**

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**Chapter 7:** _Curiosity Killed the Cat_

Sakura waited outside of the hotel, twiddling with her fingers sadly as she waited for Gerry to drive up with his limo. How could Syaoran have said such a thing to her? Maybe he really didn't like her after all... now she saw how he truly felt. She wished that she could disappear and throw him out of her life. He wasn't making things easy on her and she definitely wasn't making things easy on him. She was sitting on the edge of a nearby planter looking into her lap when a gloved hand reached out in front of her, catching her attention.

"Good afternoon Ms. Sakura." She looked up and smiled when she saw the familiar face.

"Good afternoon, Gerry." She said as she took a hold of his hand. He smiled at her and led her to the car with the door already open. Without words she stepped in.

"Is something wrong, dear?" He asked, looking into the rear-view mirror when he slid into the driver's seat. Looking out through her window, she didn't notice him speaking until he had cleared his voice. "Sakura?" he asked again. She turned to see his eyes peering at her and smiled.

"Yes?"

"Is there something wrong? You seem distracted... sad possibly?" She only frowned again but replaced her frown with a smile moments later.

"No, I'm fine. I was just having a friend problem, that's all." She said as he nodded and focused his attention back on the road. _'Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn't run my life, so I don't see why I'm feeling so bad over this. He's nothing to me and I can't wait until all of this is over.'_ she thought hotly as she looked out the window again. Syaoran Li was a mere acquaintance, nothing more, and it was going to stay that way.

Minutes later they pulled in front of the mansion that she remembered all too well. This was the place that she would rather be then anywhere else, and putting aside all her suspicions about Gerry and Syaoran, she gladly got out of the limo and made her way towards the front entrance. As soon as Gerry caught up with her he graciously opened the door and stepped aside to bid her entry. Almost immediately a smile spread across her lips as she caught sight of the person she had eagerly expected to see.

Walking across the room was Eriol. He seemed to be deep in thought until he saw Sakura, even then he managed to push aside his ideas and flashed a smile in her direction, warming her instantly. "It's nice to see you again, Ms. Sakura. I'm glad you could make it," he said politely, stopping in front of her.

"Me too, I'm actually excited to work for once." she stated playfully. Eriol chuckled and held out a hand for her to grasp, and she happily accepted.

"Are you ready to begin?" He asked politely. She shrugged and nodded her head as he led her out of the main hall into the guest room. And as soon as they walked inside she immediately noticed a pile of clothes on a nearby chair.

"I'm guessing that this is my maid uniform?" she inquired. He nodded and lifted the outfit from the chair before carrying it to her in his surprisingly gentle hands.

"You're correct. This, Sakura, will be your attire that you will be wearing all the while you are here. You may wash them anytime you please, whatever makes you most comfortable." he said as he handed the lacey, black material to her. She smiled at him, showing him that she understood as she examined the material in her hands. It was just like any usual maid's uniform, nearly entirely black with the exception of the white ruffled puffed sleeves, skirt, collar, and apron. In fact she actually adored it, it looked like something out of a movie.

_'He seems so polite... and yet here he is, living all by himself without any female figure to care for him. I wonder if he gets lonely...'_ she thought to herself as she stared at him quietly. She didn't realize she was staring until he cleared his voice, immediately making her jump and snap back to her senses. "Oh, sorry… You were saying?" He laughed and adjusted his glasses with his fingers before he continued with his explanation.

"As I was saying, all I'll need for you to do is dust the inside of my room and tend to any other obvious needs. You needn't worry about the other rooms on the top floor though, for no one uses them. As for everything else, it's really rather simple, for example…" He began, walking with her across the room to another door as he spoke. "Disposing of trash, laundry, preparing snacks in case of company. That's really all you need to worry about, but seeing as I rarely have company over, your duties are no doubt cut short." Sakura continued smiling but frowned inside. She knew she was going to have to work and that she wouldn't be able to just sit around and do nothing. And also, he had said that he rarely had company over. How often did he get to see his friends? He was still so young… too young to sit home alone at least. "...and then afterwards, perhaps you would like to accompany me to a cup of tea? Just to relax you before you leave, of course." he finished.

"Hm? Oh yes of course, that would be lovely." she answered, grasping the outfit closer. "Well then, should I get changed Mr. Hiiragizawa?"

"Yes. And please, Eriol seems most appropriate." He smiled at her, his eyes shining handsomely and she blushed lightly. He was so handsome, but then again... not really her type. He was the goody-goody rich guy who seemed to be all too innocent on the outside, but a devil on the inside. Hell, he could be a serial rapist for all she knew...

_'You're being ridiculous, Sakura.'_ she thought to herself as she walked down the long hallway and into the bathroom. She was slightly surprised when she saw how big the room itself was, but then again she was in a mansion, nearly every room, bathroom or not, was about the size of a hotel room by itself.

**Knock knock**

"Sakura? You can get to work as soon as you're done changing. As for me, I'm going to get back to working on my files." he said through the door, knocking against it with his knuckle to get her attention. She muffled a small 'alright' through her shirt as she pulled the dress down over her head.

"Oh wow... cute apron." she said amused as she looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was surprisingly short and went a good two or possibly three inches above the knees. As for the black shoes, she wiggled her toes as the light reflected off the polished leather. "How unfortunate to have to get this dirty..." She sighed and flipped a stray strand of hair off her shoulders with her hand, taking one last awkward look at herself before walking out of the bathroom. _'Alrighty... where should I begin?'_

**Tap...tap...tap...**

Syaoran was in his car with his hand to his chin as he sat a few blocks away from the old warehouse, bored. His other hand was tapping on the steering wheel as he thought. Even though he was supposed to be focusing on the people walking around, his mind was still concentrating on Sakura. He had to admit that she was one _very_ stubborn woman, but nonetheless she was still fun to annoy. He chuckled under his breath and leaned over the steering wheel to get a better look at the building. He looked out at the warehouse and noticed an old hobo trying to take a peek through one of the old, cracked windows.

"What the hell?" he whispered as he leaned forward more. The hobo used his old, tan sleeve to dust away the dirt on the window to get a better view of what was inside. And after glancing through once again, he began to make his way to the front doors. To Syaoran, this man looked very suspicious. "Hey B. Someone's trying to trespass into the warehouse, looks like a homeless man looking for a place to stay. Want me to go check it out?" he said into the collar of his shirt where a small microphone was buttoned up inside. He put a finger to his ear to hear his boss's reply and nodded before taking his keys out of the ignition and stuffing them into his pocket.

It wasn't too far to walk but it was still difficult to try and walk to the warehouse without causing suspicion. The old man had somehow made his way inside through the rusted, metal doors and was now out of sight, which made Syaoran a little more paranoid. Was the guy seriously just looking for a place to camp? Still though, something seemed strange about the man…

Stepping through the doors as quietly as he could, Syaoran tiptoed around the door frame with his hand placed firmly on his gun. "Come on old man... where are you?" he whispered as he looked around, stepping through the shadows being cast by rows of piled boxes. Suddenly there was a loud clashing noise and he immediately swung around with his gun pointed out in front of him. Apparently the old man was looking through things, moving around as he examined them. Or at least that's what Syaoran thought. He stepped around another corner and quickly withdrew back to hiding behind a stack of boxes as soon as he caught sight of the man's back, huddled over a pile of tin cans.

"What is he doing?" Syaoran whispered again as he quietly loaded his gun. There was another clash and he took this as his opportunity to jump around the corner and aim his gun at the old man. "Freeze!" he yelled as the man whirled around in astonishment, with his hands high up in the air.

"Don't shoot!" he cried as his long grey beard shook as he spoke. Syaoran remained silent but didn't lower is gun, instead he began to step closer.

"Who are you?" he asked firmly. The old man began to shake in fright and nervousness.

"I-I'm just an o-old man trying to look for some food! " His hands were shaking violently. But Syaoran wasn't buying it.

"Why would you be looking for food in an old abandoned warehouse?"

"I-I don't know, who k-knows what people put in here! I swear, please don't shoot me!" Syaoran remained in position and after a few moments of looking the man over, he lowered his gun. Though as soon as he did, the man pushed a nearby trashcan at him and ran off into the shadows, disappearing in a forest of highly stacked boxes.

"Shit!" he yelled as he kicked the trashcan away, and quickly began chasing after him. He turned the corner and found himself at a wall, then turned around only to see that the man was no where to be seen. Cursing at himself for letting his guard down, he placed his gun back into its holder and rubbed his forehead in anger. "Dammit... I can't believe I fell for it."

Taking one last look around the warehouse he walked out through the metal doors and back towards his car. By then the old man was long gone.

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"You know, you do your job well for a beginner. Have you ever done anything like this before?" Eriol asked, leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom. Sakura was standing on the sink counter, cleaning the mirror on the tips of her toes. She blushed and wiped her forehead of perspiration as she looked down at him.

"I haven't, and thank you. Not many of my bosses compliment their employees, you're one of the first I've come across." she said, jumping down from the counter and walking up to him. She wasn't even close to being his height. He looked to be about five foot ten, while she more near five foot four. He looked down at her and smiled warmly as her breath caught in her chest. Did he always look that charming? "Um... please excuse me, I have the other bathrooms to attend to." she said, pushing her way past him politely.

"Oh yes, of course." He moved aside and let her walk by, his eyes watching her retreating form. She could feel his eyes baring into her back but decided to stay focused on what was in front of her. No, he was definitely not her type. After all, he was Syaoran's friend. What would he think if he found out that she was supposedly had a crush on his long time pal? She didn't even want to think about it.

"He probably wouldn't even care... humph... he's such a snob." She mumbled to herself. Turning another corner and walking into the next bathroom, she shut the door and leaned against it. Was it such a good idea to be working for someone so distracting? She didn't know and didn't want to know, as long as she didn't lead him on, nothing would happen and she could continue to work without problems. "Deep breaths, Sakura, nothing's wrong. It's all in your head."

Eriol was had retreated back inside his little office, flipping through various files in his file cabinet. It was a daily routine for him and he had to admit, he was getting quite bored of it. "Gerry!" he called out. There was no answer, yet he waited a few more moments before calling out again. "Gerry!" This time the butler appeared at the foot of his door, hands at his sides and waiting patiently.

"You called, sir?" he asked, a curt smile on his face.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all morning since Ms. Sakura arrived." Eriol questioned, looking at him in question.

"Well I've been outside sir, tending to the gardener. She had asked for help… Sorry if that's troubled you." he said, bowing lowly. Eriol was still curious but decided to let it slide.

"No, it's quite alright. I was just curious about where you went. Anyway I'm starting to get another headache, could you fetch me a beverage please?" Gerry bowed again and turned around, walking down the hall. "Very curious man, he is... curious indeed." Eriol said, turning back to face his desk. A moment later he heard a small giggle from his door and he turned to see Sakura standing in the doorframe.

"Sorry but I find your accent amusing." She said, smiling. He pushed his glassed up the ridge of his nose with his finger and turned in his chair to face her.

"You do, do you? Well I find it amusing too at times. English accents seem to be strange to those who aren't accustomed to it." Sakura looked on in surprise.

"You've heard yourself? How, through speeches?" she asked. He nodded.

"For speeches I make for my company. I need to know how I'm going to sound, mind you. It sounds bad whether I record myself or not." They both shared a laugh, then stared at each other for a few moments before breaking the silence. "Did you need something?" he asked, swerving back on topic.

"Oh! Yea, I wanted to ask you if I could help Gerry out in the yard. That is, unless you would rather have me do something else. I've already finished with the house." She asked, twiddling with her fingers.

"Hm. I think he can attend to that himself, though you are still free to join him if you'd like. I don't mind at all." He said. Sakura smiled in acceptance and readied to turn around when he called her back. "Miss Sakura?"

"Yes?" She answered, turning around. His eyes were staring at her in _that way_ again and it gave her goose bumps. Why couldn't he just let her leave?

"Could you lock the door before you leave, please?" Sakura nearly fell over, but did as he asked. She nodded and locked the door from the inside before closing it behind her. Why did he want his door locked? Maybe he just didn't want to be disturbed? Yeah, that had to be it.

"I GET IT! DAMN! " Syaoran yelled into the microphone while driving back to the hotel. He had contacted his boss as soon as he had returned to his car and once he told him what had happened, Dominic immediately began lecturing him, openly telling him how stupid and irresponsible he was.

"I MEAN IT, LI!" Dominic threatened, and then lowered his voice in an attempt to calm down. "If you keep making mistakes, we'll never get anywhere with this. We need to find this guy as soon as possible, and you can't just let all the possible suspects get..."

"Yeah, I know. I made a stupid mistake; I don't need you telling me about it," He sighed, rubbing his temple in irritation. "I'll talk to you later."

He hung up and raced towards the hotel. He really wasn't in the mood to listen to anyone, let alone see anyone either. He just wanted to sleep. That was… until he remembered Sakura was still gone.

"Humph... hope she's having fun with Eriol." He was being sarcastic. Everything seemed to bug him, and anyone in their right mind would know to keep away in case of explosion… seriously. He sped into a parking space in front of the hotel and was oblivious to the fact that he had slammed his car door as he stomped inside through the entrance.

"Sir... is something wrong? Sir?" The receptionist called after him, but frowned when he had ignored her and continued on his way. Maybe it was a good thing that Sakura wasn't waiting for him in the hotel suite, which would have had the word 'danger' written all over in telepathic letters. Barging into the room angrily, Syaoran immediately threw off his shoes, ran into his bedroom, and plopped face first onto his olive-green bed sheets.

_'I wonder what he's having her do for him.' _He groaned in further annoyance. '_I know him all too well...'_ One of the reasons he started to lose touch with his _dear_ friend was because of the way they clashed when they around each other. They had much of the same characteristics but that wasn't just it, they also disagreed about lots of things and had the same taste in girls. For some that may be good, but with those two, it was like water and sand. They did NOT mix. Whenever they would see a pretty girl, they would both try to go after her. It was like a constant challenge, a battle for the both of them. So eventually they drifted apart only to end up the way they were now. _'I'm going to call him.'_ he thought as he lifted himself from his bed, practically crawling towards the phone.

Picking up the phone he pressed it to his ear gently as he dialed Eriol's cell. He still didn't have his house number and needed to make sure to ask him for it. It rang a few times before a young, feminine voice answered.

"Hello?" she said.

"You. Get me Eriol. Now." Syaoran commanded firmly. There was a sudden snarl at the other end, following a small sigh.

"What do you want Syaoran?" It was Sakura and he immediately smirked. What a coincidence that is was she who answered his call.

"Nothing from you, I need to talk to Eriol, give him the phone." he commanded again. Bingo. He knew he was being a butthole but he couldn't help it. He sure felt like one.

"You're such an ass Li. Here he is."

"Hello?" Eriol answered.

"Hey Hiiragizawa, how are you holding out with Kinomoto? She's got a mouth on her, wouldn't you say? Or have you not seen that side of her yet." Syaoran said, smirking to himself. Eriol, once again, pushed his glasses up the ridge of his nose and laughed.

"I don't know how she is around you, but I haven't seen anyone so… enjoyable in all the time I've lived here."

Enjoyable? What'd be mean by that? They didn't… did they? Eriol was going to die. But what was this, jealousy? Syaoran never got jealous over any girl, ever. Mainly because the relationships he'd had, began in his bed and ended in his bed. How quaint.

"Pfft, then you need to get out more often." Syaoran rolled his eyes and Eriol laughed again, his English accent slightly getting on his nerves. "Anyway I just called cause I was bored. I just got off the phone with..." He paused for a second. "...my mom and I'm really ticked. In fact I'm kinda in the mood to start a brawl with Sakura. What time is she coming back?"

Sakura was close by, watering some nearby flowers in a vase while Eriol continued talking with Syaoran. She looked over at him and he smiled, quickly resuming his conversation. "She's able to go whenever she pleases. No one is keeping her here, she can go on her own accord." he said. Sakura smiled back at him and returned to watering the flowers before walking out of the room and out of ear shot.

"Listen Eriol, you don't want to get mixed up with her. Trust me, she's not like any other woman you've met." Syaoran warned flatly. There was a slight pause then a long breathy sigh from Eriol.

"Indeed? Is it because you already have your sights set on her, or is it that for once you're truly trying to warn me to keep me out of trouble? " Eriol knew what the answer was, and it only intrigued him further. Syaoran hated him for that.

"Just take my word for it this time. You haven't seen the real side of her yet, I swear when she explodes, you won't see anything but stars and confetti."

"Yeah whatever..." Eriol said lazily. He continued conversing with Syaoran while Sakura roamed the room she was in wearily. While walking around, she came across a pretty black piano forte over in the far side of the corner. She slid her fingers across the top of it in recognition before sitting down on the piano bench. She smiled to herself as she slid off the cover hiding the keys and looked at them intently.

"I remember moments like this..." she said to herself, "When I was young I would always play a piano much like this one." She placed her fingers on the keys and before she knew it, her fingers began a smooth melody. Her talents from when she was younger seemed to flow back to her hands and she closed her eyes, feeling the music glide through her, lifting her inhibitions.

Minutes went by and she continued to play her tune. It had been so long since she last touched a piano and it brought back so many memories. Her and her father would sit at it for endless hours just trying to create a nice, soothing song. They would have the time of their lives just doing it... and that's what she missed.

"Sakura, are you done with the house, ready to leave? "Eriol asked as he walked up to her. Shocked, she stopped playing and stood up.

"Um yeah. Sorry for touching your piano, I just couldn't help myself."

"No, you play beautifully." His eyes gleamed at her with utter kindness, yet they seemed dark and mysterious. She wondered what kinds of secrets were locked up inside. "You may use it whenever you like. Come, I'll escort you to Gerry."

Damn those probing eyes of his. She would have liked to say something, but they seemed to suck all the words right out of her head. How odd.

"Yes well I bet Syaroan can't wait to begin our quarrel anyway… I thank you again for accepting me for your offer." She said, following close behind him. The moment was oddly silent again and a few moments later, Gerry walked in and out of sight across the room from the hallway, catching both of their attention. "Hi Gerry." Sakura said warmly. He stopped walking and looked towards them.

"Hello Ms. Sakura. Is there anything you need?" He asked. She glanced at Eriol who looked as if he were going to ask him a question, and indeed he did, though for some reason she had thought a question of another kind was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Gerry, Miss Sakura is ready to leave for home, would you be so kind?" Eriol maintained his calm look regardless of his distress. She wondered how he managed to do that and still look… unbelievably appealing. Gerry nodded in sudden acknowledgement and strode quickly to the front doors to open them for her.

"I'll be more then happy to escort you home, Miss Sakura, but I just need to take care of something really quick beforehand. Please excuse me." He ran off towards the stairs and quickly made his way towards his room, but a sudden mental pull ttracted his attention on Eriol's office. First he hesitated to open the door but brought forth the courage to take a small peek. Seriously. Just a small peek.

"Let's see what we have here..." he whispered as he stepped through the door. He looked through papers, cabinets, drawers, and shelves to see if there was anything of use to him, though sadly, there wasn't. Muttering an oath under his breath, he turned to leave… but the sight of something shiny under a few of Eriol's papers caught his attention. "What is this?" he thought out loud. He was about to reach for it when a sudden voice tore him away from his assumptions.

"What are you doing?"

Gerry whirled around, his back pressed against the desk. Aw crap.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he recognized Sakura's form in the doorway.

"What are you doing in Eriol's office? Is there something you need in here?" She was suddenly suspicious, this was the second time she caught him doing things that looked… odd. He shook his head and started his way towards her.

"No, I was just sorting his papers. Seeing as it's always a mess in here, I figured that it was time to clean up."

"I see..." She looked at him questioningly, still not sure if he was telling the truth or not but decided not to push it. Instead she smiled and stepped out of his way so he could walk past her. "Well I just came to see where you were. Eriol was starting to wonder if you would ever come back down."

"Indeed, sorry about that Sakura, lets get to the limo shall we?." They smiled at each other and made their way down the staircase side by side, approaching Eriol who also seemed to be a bit curious about what had taken Gerry to long. Sakura finished saying her good-byes to Eriol and walked out towards the front of the house while Gerry followed close behind. "Oops, shit." he gritted, suddenly remembering something. Unfortunately for him though, Sakura had heard.

"What is it?" she asked, standing at the limo door.

"Nothing. It's nothing, please hold on one moment." he said as he rushed to the other side of the vehicle. He opened the door and moved something to the back of the car. Sakura peeked at him before he stuffed whatever it was into the trunk and caught sight of something furry, possibly a wig?

"What was that?" she asked curiously. He shook his head to shake off her question and opened her door for her.

"It wasn't anything. Just a few things Eriol needed me to buy." He said as she stepped in. She didn't say anything in response, but her expression said it all. He knew she was onto him, and it was really starting to make him nervous. But why was he getting nervous if there was nothing to hide? There _was _nothing to hide… wasn't there?

He drove her back to the hotel within minutes and neither of them said a word to each other. Instead she got out of the car as soon as he slowed to a stop and watched as he drove off. Things between them were indeed starting to get awkward and she didn't know what it meant.

Syaoran would have passed out from exhaustion if it wasn't for a loud bang at the front door. His eyes shot open as he became alert, but relaxed again when he noticed it was Sakura.

"About time. I was beginning to think that…." _That you were getting it on with Eriol. _ He shook off the thought. "That you actually enjoyed work." She merely stuck her tongue out at him and took off her shoes at the front door before making her way to the bathroom.

"I actually did. He's so much more _polite_ and pleasant to be around then you are. In fact, I wouldn't mind living with him rather than here with you." she called from inside the bathroom. Ouch. That'd hurt.

"Yeah, right. And I suppose you might want to date him too?" At this she poked her head out the door and glared at him in challenge.

"Who knows, I might." she said smartly. He scowled at her and turned away without a word. For some strange reason, this pleased her. "Why do you care? You're not jealous are you?" She offered a fake gasp. "No way! _The_ Syaoran Li is jealous over little Sakura Kinomoto! Is this even possible? "

"Stuff it Sakura. I never said I was jealous, I will never get jealous over you." A lie. Or maybe he wasn't lying. He didn't know what he wanted anymore, he didn''t exactly like her, but then again what else could have explained his sudden urge to cuss Eriol out over the phone? She frowned at his last words.

"Yeah, I thought so, meh who cares." She shrugged and disappeared back into the bathroom. "So now that we're moving onto a more _friendlier_ topic, what did you do while I was gone today?" He shrugged and lay down on the couch as she emerged from the bathroom toward him.

"Went somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's none of your business."

"We'll I'd like to know."

"It's none of your business."

"Fine then, was it close by?"

"It's none of your business."

"Did you go check out sluts at one of those kinky clubs?"

"It's none of your business."

"You're such an ass."

"None of y..." Fun time. "Look who's talking."

Sakura glared at him and pushed his head forward roughly before stomping into the bedroom. She never failed to amuse him, but now their fn was over, time for some serious talk.

"Hey Sakura. I think I may have found out some stuff about the warehouse and the bad guy. Later I need you to come with me so we can… _explore_." he called out to her. He could hear her voice muffle out to him through the bedroom door.

"What for? Go by yourself geek, I'm going to sleep." Again with her spoiled attitude.

"You're coming with me whether you like it or not."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes. You are."

Silence.

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"I hate you!" she yelled at him as she stepped into the abandoned warehouse. It was nearing nine o' clock that night and, seemingly so, Syaoran had forced her into going with him to the warehouse. She loathed him.

"Ditto." He said as he walked over to the pile of tin cans the old bum was looking through earlier that day. There had to be something there, otherwise why would someone be looking if the place had been abandoned for years?

"Why are you looking through those cans?" Sakura asked, walking over to him. He was digging through the cans, pushing them to the side as he searched.

"Seeing if there's anything here that's not supposed to be." he answered, squatting down.

"Mhm, and I suppose you're expecting to find some sort of alien corpse under all of this?" He glared at her over his shoulder then turned back to the cans. "Oh, come on Syaoran, this is boring. Why couldn't we just stay back at the hotel and do this tomorrow?" She'd hit a nerve.

"Because this is a matter that needs to be taken care of immediately. We Might as well do it now when people are sleeping." He explained, his tone hard and direct. "I can't take chances on being found out… that bum might sneak by and catch us."

Good point.

"Fine. Here let me help," she said, getting to her knees right beside him. "If we don't find anything then I'm going home... OUCH!"

Syaoran quickly turned to look at her and saw her bent over her knee, examining it with a mixed expression of pain and surprise. She had kneeled down on an open can lid and cut herself. It didn't look deep, but her knee was bleeding.

"I swear, you're absolutely accident prone." He sighed, crossing his arms. She glared up at him, her small palm covering the cut.

"Shut up! This really hurts…" Tears stung her eyes at the sight of the blood. She may have been a woman now, but she still had her childish moments. Syaoran smiled… a smile of contentment? Nah.

"First it was your finger getting stuck in doors, and now this..." Syaoran moved towards her. He always chose the wrong time to start an argument.

"Help me dammit, do you have something I can tie over this?" She blew across the cut to stop the stinging.

"Even if I did I wouldn't give it to you. You'd get blood all over it." he smirked. God she hated him. She expressed her rage by kicking the pile of cans, sending a few flying into the air with her foot.

"Listen you! I'm not in the mood for your senseless twattle, so stop annoying me! Grow up and realize that arguing with me isn't cute!" Oh man, she was heated. And that had been enough to trigger his rage as well.

"Would YOU stop annoying ME! I'm just trying to get this figured out so I can get back home and live my normal life again." He stepped closer to the cans.

"I want to get back home too, but sadly I can't! Instead I'm stuck with some snot-nosed, goody-goody who thinks he's GOD! Would you stop trying to act so cool and be nice for once! Geeze I can't beli... eh!" She was yelling at him as she pointed a finger to his chest when she noticed that she had suddenly stepped on something that seemed to sink. Looking down she saw that the stone she was standing on sunk into the ground. A key? Nothing happened. "What's this?"

"Look what you did, bigfoot." he said, looking down at the stone.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Stop insulting me..." She frowned. She was so fed up with this bullshit. "That's it, I'm going to the car. I can't believe how childish you are..." She trailed off in a rant as she walked off. Once she took her foot off of the stone, there was a loud _pang_ and it popped back up. The noise startled her and she suddenly stopped walking, the both of them looking around cautiously.

"What did you do?" he accused her again as he looked back down at the stone.

"I didn't do anything." She took another glance around then stomped out of the warehouse. He didn't attempt to follow her; instead he continued to look around to see what had made the noise. (Other then the stone, of course) Shortly after, he decided that it was nothing and walked outside to his car where Sakura was waiting impatiently.

"Well? Did you find out what that noise was?" She asked, tapping her foot on the ground. He walked around to the other side and slid into the driver's seat.

"No, I'm sure it was nothing. Now come on, let's get going."

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Sakura decided to sleep on the couch that night instead of the bed. She needed some time to think to herself and she knew that sleeping on a comfortable mattress would only bring her to sleep, not keep her awake. She was still curious about what happened inside the warehouse and wanted to find out almost as much as Syaoran did, though she didn't want to admit it.

"ZZzzzZZzzzz uhh...zzZzZz...pfff...ZZzz..."

She rolled her eyes at Syaoran's snoring from the bedroom and continued to think. What if whatever was in that warehouse was really serious? What if there was something hidden inside that no one knew about? If there was then the FBI would have found out by now, that she knew.

_'I wonder if we'll find anything. I hate wasting on my time on something so ridiculous.'_ she thought. But that was the least of her worries, she just wanted to get back home with Tomoyo… It wasn't long till she fell asleep and Syaoran had woken up. She had stayed up late while Syaoran was busy snoozing off in him room. That wasn't a surprise though, males tended to do that. As soon as they got back he had immediately drifted off to the bedroom without saying another word to her. Usually he would have felt bad, but really needed the sleep.

It was still a bit early in the morning but Syaoran decided to get a head start. While Sakura was at Eriol's, he would be investigating the warehouse again. He stretched and slid out of bed, slipping on green footsies before quietly making his way to the bedroom door.

"Mmm..." Sakura moaned in her sleep as soon as he walked past her. The hell? He looked at her and wondered to himself... did she really just moan? Thoughts drifted to the surface of his mind without his knowing, dirty thoughts, yet he shook them off.

The room was still dark so he couldn't see her expression, but still, he wanted to look at her. For once he got to be close to her without having her jump down his throat about something. He had to admit though, when she wasn't yelling she was actually quite nice to be around. _'She's not really all that bad...'_ he thought, kneeling down on the floor in front of her. He had to look close to see her face, but he still couldn't make out her features that well. Everything was so quiet, so peaceful that his mind wasn't even thinking anymore. All he could focus on was the angel in front of him. He probably only thought that because he was still half asleep. Nah… it was because she wasn't yelling at him, either way though, it didn't matter.

He was still looking at her when she had opened her eyes. She could sense that someone had entered the room with her, and she nearly screamed when she opened her eyes to Syaoran's chest. She was also surprised to see that he wasn't moving away from her as soon as she looked up at him, and little did she know that he couldn't see that she was awake. _'What is he doing?'_ she thought curiously. Then out of no where he began to move closer to her, a hand brushing her hair gently behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat and she didn't say a word.

He continued moving closer to her, his eyes on her face and she didn't know what to do. Should she call out and interrupt what he was doing, or should she remain quiet and find out what was about to happen? Was he sleepwalking? She had a feeling that he was going to kiss her… and oddly enough, a part of her wanted him to, but part also didn't. Sure he was handsome, but now that she knew the kind of person he was, she didn't want to have anything to do with him... or did she?

His face lowered closer to hers and her eyes widened, she could feel his breath on her lips and braced herself, ready for the imapact... but it didn't come. She held her breath as she looked at him, seeing him hesitate and then move back slightly. _'Is he going to kiss me or not?'_' Then once again he moved towards her, though this time he kissed her forehead. It was as if he wanted to kiss her but thought better of it and kissed her elsewhere. Maybe he didn't want her to wake up or maybe he just didn't want to give her any ideas. She let out her breath quietly, a bit depressed that he didn't kiss her lips instead.

She smiled though as she watched him stand up from the floor and make his way to the bathroom, opening and closing the door quietly so he wouldn't wake her. Good thing he didn't know she was awake... would he still have kissed her if he knew she was watching him? It didn't matter, it was over now and it was up to her to think it through. Maybe he wasn't so bad under all of that macho-ness. Maybe he had a soft side but just didn't want to show it so openly. She couldn't help but think this over as she began to fall asleep again, ok so possibly she still had a _little_ crush on him, but it wasn't going to go anywhere. It was just an infatuation...

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**A/N: Nothing really happened and I know it was boring but it's getting to the good parts. Don't give up on me yet, there's much you need to find out and I'll surely add a lot more to my chapters the more I get going. Thanks for reading and I'll try to update as soon as I can. :D**


	8. A Secret To Tell

**A/N: Holy cow, it's been… a really long time since I've last uploaded a chapter. I suppose I've had a serious case of writer's block, along with school and other events clotting up my schedule. My deepest apologies to my reviewers (who have probably forgotten about me by now P ) Anyway, if you're just now joining in on this fic then I hope you enjoy it to your heart's content. I've been trying to drift away from the same old "romance" and mix it up with a little more action, so hopefully I'll know what I'm doing… lol enjoy!**

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**To My Reviewers:**

**Kenshinlover2002:** Muaha! Stay tuned, friend! You'll find out soon enough what's really going on, and I'm sure you'll be plenty surprised once the story unfolds. As for the innocent kiss Syaoran gave Sakura, perhaps he is going a little soft, but what would the story be without a little S+S, hm? Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Angelic Gothic:** It all seems to go together doesn't it? Maybe it's the butler, or maybe it's Eriol, or maybe it's the least person you'd expect to be behind all of this. Who knows? I thank you for taking up an interest in my story, and there isn't a doubt that you'll find out who the culprit is in the next few chapters. But until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story and I really appreciate your review. )

**trangie:** lol you'll check up on me every day? I hardly believe that you've kept on looking up to this point, seeing as it's been a while since I last uploaded. But thanks! Here's your next chapter, maybe you'll like this one just as much as the last.

**Kawaii** **Bell:** Indeedy-do! More should be revealed in the next coming chapters, that is, if I keep trying to update in a timely manner from now on. Other then that though, I thank you for your review. Who knows, you might be right about what's going on, you'll just have to keep reading to find out, hm? Hehe.

**Strawberrylover:** Holy man, I must say that I appreciate your reviews most. I notice your reviews for all my fics for each chapter I happen to upload, that really makes me smile. Thank you. Anyway, they kissed! I just had to put something in there for that chapter, I mean, it's been 7 chapters and nothing has happened yet! Had to put something juicy in there, and I'm glad you liked it lol. I'll be looking forward to your next review! –hugs-

**lOuisE69:** Oh my, thank you. P Unfortunately I haven't been coming up with good ideas lately, and I'm surprised I even thought stuff up for this chapter. I hope you like it though, and thanks for reading and reviewing!

**ErosKitty:** Ended it? Oh, ha! Indeed, I did end it, but I promise there'll be plenty of better parts later on in the story to make up for it. Please be patient and I promise you, you won't regret it. Thank you for reviewing, here's your next chapter. ;

**Trang:** Aw thanks. I have a fan! Tehe, anyway I'm sorry for not uploading in such a long while, but here's the chapter you've been waiting for. Hopefully you won't be disappointed with this, I'll try to keep my chapters interesting. Thanks for reading and thank you so much for keeping up with me for so long. –smiles-

**dancingwindforever:** Surprise, surprise! Whether Sakura ends up with Syaoran or Eriol is entirely up to… chance. –snigger- You never know, but I'm not going to give anything away. What anticipation would there be if I gave the goodies out? P As for abandoning this fic, I was debating on it for some time, my writer's block was that bad. But I decided against it and fished something up to continue with. I'm actually glad I didn't end it though, and thank you for your review. If it wasn't for your personal review, I wouldn't have had much motivation to continue this at all. Thanks:

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**Chapter 8:**

_A Secret to Tell_

Sakura had disappeared through the double doors to get to the phone, without notice, while the guests greeted each other in the other room. Now that the entire guest room was filled with chattering strangers, it was the perfect opportunity to get a hold of Tomoyo without anyone bothering her. Besides, it had been weeks since their little "money" incident, there was bound to be news of help by now. If so, Sakura was going to find out soon. Shuffling down the hall while holding her dress up with one hand to keep the fine fabric from dragging on the floor, she reached the phone and retrieved it, disappearing into the nearest empty room so no one would get suspicious.

Syaoran was bored, irritated… bored… tired, and… bored still. He had arrived at Eriol's house with Sakura a full hour ago, and to no surprise they were the first ones to arrive. The other guests hadn't started driving up until now, and it only added onto his dread of being near… people. He wasn't necessarily in the mood to talk to anybody and pretty much wanted to seep into the tiles beneath his own two feet and disappear so he could, sleep? Yeah, sleep sounded really good.

Eriol was throwing a get-together party to celebrate the day his beloved home had finally finished being built. Yep, it was the very house Syaoran was moping in at the moment. He thought it odd that Eriol made the official finishing of his manor a sort of anniversary date… but then again, Eriol was a weird fellow to begin with.

"Syaoran, do you have a minute? I'd like to introduce you to a few friends of mine. I've told them all about you, come on, shake a leg." Eriol had caught Syaoran off guard, snapping him out of his selfish thoughts of self preservation when he approached him from the other side of the room, with two female creatures by his side no less. Oop… It took just about all the strength in Syaoran to force a smile to his lips and to stand up to greet these so-called "friends" of Eriol's. The girls weren't exactly unpleasant looking, that definitely wasn't it. In fact, they were perfectly fine looking specimens… curved in all the right places. Again, the perverse side of his mind took control, but he wasn't in the mood for perverted thoughts tonight either. Shocking.

Taking a gentle hold of both girls' hands, he brought them up to his lips and kissed each as if they were not but the finest porcelain. It was his nature to treat girls with the utmost respect, and it wasn't his fault that every girl he happened to treat that way seemed to melt at his feet. But it wasn't as if he didn't mind it either.

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you," he began, focusing his full attention on his act. "How do you put up with Eriol, hm? I'm sorry, but I need to know your secret. Anyone who can spend so much time with him must have a means of sanctuary to escape to." Syaoran joked after he released their hands. The women simply giggled behind their fingers in response, earning him a look of concern from Eriol.

"We're full of jests tonight, aren't we Syaoran?" Eriol grinned, obviously not taking the joke personally as he continued with the introductions. "Syaoran, this lovely brunette is Malina. The blonde at her side is Madison," he said, gesturing to both ladies. "Surely you'll keep them company throughout the remainder of this party, won't you?" Syaoran cussed under his breath. He hated it when Eriol put him into the spotlight like that, and he knew that he had no choice in the matter. Drat.

"Of course, I'd love to keep watch over these ladies." He said, smiling handsomely at the baffled women standing before him. With the way they were giggling, who would have guessed that they were full grown females? He sighed to himself… it was the same reaction no matter where he went. He was surprised when Sakura had reacted the way she had after their first encounter. She never failed to entice him, even when she was upset. Speaking of which, where was she?

"Anyway, I have a few more awaiting guests I need to greet at the door. If you will excuse me…" Eriol made an attempt to leave, bowing his head politely before turning around.

"Hey, before you go, have you seen Sakura?" Syaoran called out to him, reaching out for his arm. But no sooner then he was able to reach, a small voice spoke up behind him.

"Looking for me?" It was her. Who could mistake her soft, feather-like voice? Eriol continued to walk off, disappearing into the crowd and leaving his two female guests alone at Syaoran's side to snoot away to themselves while eyeing Sakura quietly. It wasn't as if there was any competition between the three ladies. No, sir. The two strangers won hands down when it came to beauty. But it wasn't Sakura's beauty that captivated Syaoran, it was the vibe that she gave off. It was rather intoxicating, but that didn't mean she was ugly either. She was simple and plain, and oddly enough she was the first girl he had seemed to like who didn't cake make-up on her face.

"I was, actually. Where have you been?" He asked, turning to face her. She simply smiled her usual, innocent smile and eyed the girls in front of her.

"You're nosey. I was using the restroom," she sighed to herself, "Perhaps next time you'd like to make sure I wash my hands too, Dad?" Syaoran clenched a fist at his side. She always did have a quick mouth on her. "Who are these ladies, if I may ask? Are they your fan club?" Sakura continued, grinning wryly at him. The two girls 'humphed' and stood silent, awaiting Syaoran's answer.

"I'm afraid not, they're a few friends of Eriol's, we were just getting acquainted."

"I'm sure you were. Well, in that case, I'll leave you three alone while I serve the guests. Have fun." She said, patting Syaoran none too gently on the back before making her way through the bustling crowd. The moment she reached the privacy of the kitchen, she leaned against the door and stared up at the ceiling above her. It had been about a week since the "kiss" incident that night in the living room between her any Syaoran. She still wasn't sure if he had known whether she was asleep or not, but it wasn't as if she was going to walk up to him and ask him.

"Sakura, are you enjoying the party?" A voice called out ahead of her, snapping her out of her trance. Looking up, she forced a smile when she realized it was Gerry, who was holding a tray of 'snacks' in his gloved hand.

"Enjoying it? I'm having the time of my life," she replied, sliding past him to pick up a similar tray from the counter. "I just decided to help out, that's all. Do you mind?" Gerry shook his head, wrinkles showing his age when he smiled.

"Not at all, but it really isn't necessary. Tonight you needn't worry about being hired help, I can take care of this entirely myself. Thank you though, you're a sweet girl." And he left the kitchen, approaching the guests outside with tray in hand.

Sweet? Hardly. He wouldn't think that if he knew what was going through her mind at the moment… she was still curious about him, both him and his actions, and he seemed to be acting more and more peculiar whenever she would bump into him. Also, what was in the trunk that night he took her home? She knew she shouldn't fret too much about it, but it was normal for one to have suspicions… right?

She held her head up high, pushed all her troublesome thoughts aside, and followed after Gerry shortly after he had left. Everyone was chatting happily, each conversation different from the one before. When was the last time _she_ had a party? It made her wonder. Oh well, she couldn't wait to get home anyway, the news she had received from Tomoyo during her phone call earlier had her all pumped up in anticipation. When she had called, Tomoyo had told her that Sakura's brother, Touya, would make a few phone calls and come down to take care of the situation. Sakura grinned. She could always depend on her brother to help her out, even though he was an ass.

Passing through the room, she was about to offer a couple some of the treats on her tray when Syaoran pulled her back into… the comfort of his arms? Nah, it was just too crowded to stand any further apart.

"What is it?" She asked, looking him in the eyes. He took the tray from her hands and set it down on the arm of a nearby sofa, then pulled her to a quieter part of the room.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving. I just got a call from Damian," Syaoran grunted, running a frustrated hand through his hair. Gah… he really needed to stop messing up his hair when he was troubled. "He said it was urgent and he wants me back down at the warehouse to meet up with another one of the agents. Do you want to stay or would you like me to take you home?"

"Woah, slow down. Why does your boss want you down at the warehouse _again_? Did they find something?" She asked in just above a whisper, suddenly curious. A part of her wanted to stay, a part of her wanted to go home and talk to Tomoyo, but a bigger part wanted to go with him instead. A sudden rush of excitement coursed through her limbs like electrical signals, telling her brain to follow him and find out what was going on. She secretly decided on doing so if he were to refuse. "Better yet, can I come wit– "

"No." He rubbed his forehead with his fingers and regained his composure, calming his nerves. "Sorry, but you can't. I don't want to have to worry about you when I can be focusing on the task at hand. It'll be safer for you if you stay here with Eriol or at home… wait, stay here." He decided, rushing out to the entrance hall where a maid stood, handing him his coat. Sakura followed close behind, questions flooding her mind.

"I won't get in the way…" She knew it was useless to argue with this man, so she decided against it. "Fine then, I'll stay here. When do you think you'll be back at the hotel?" She watched as he shrugged on his jacket over his broad shoulders.

"I don't know, I'll be back whenever I get finished. I suggest you don't go anywhere, I'll be here to pick you up." She nodded and watched from the front door as he hurried his way down the front steps to his car.

So he wanted her to stay, huh? Heh… funny.

……………………………………………………..

Sakura had asked to borrow Gerry's car. Naturally he had accepted, but had an array of questions to go with it. She had told him that she had to run a few quick errands for her stay that night, since she was told to remain at the manor by orders from Syaoran, which seemed believable enough, didn't it? He had understood and had given her the car keys without hesitation… but that was merely the easy part. Now she had to try and find her way through the city to the warehouse on her own. She was sure she could make it there from the hotel itself, so maybe she would start there instead.

Sakura tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the radio as she waited at an intersection. She was just a turn away from the hotel and was growing even more anxious just waiting. Who knew what she would find once she got to the warehouse. She looked around at the street ahead where cars zoomed by and where others sat, waiting for their light to turn green. And out of pure luck, she caught a glimpse of a car sitting at the light opposite her, as well as the person sitting at the wheel. It was Syaoran. Her heart thumped impatiently as she watched him turn at the intersection, '_To the warehouse,_' she guessed. Muttering an oath under her breath, she made an illegal turn through the red light to tail him. So, he had decided to make a pit stop at the hotel, too? How coincidental.

She knew better than to keep a watch on him too closely, so she let a few cars turn into her lane ahead of her so it would be less obvious that she was following him. But she dreaded that he already knew she was there… and what if he did? Would he yell at her? Tie her up in the hotel room and hold her hostage? Or would he go crazy enough to shoot her and get her out of the way permanently? It was a fat chance for any of that happening… except for the yelling, he did enough of that already.

They were in a deeper and older part of town now. All the streets were empty, barely anyone was in sight, and the buildings were rusty looking with poor, ground level houses scattering the neighborhood. Luckily though, that was the area _near_ the warehouse, since the warehouse itself was located a ways away. Not that its location had been any better. If possible, it was even more deserted and creepy looking than the neighborhood itself was, now that it was dark… Why had she wanted to follow again?

Syaoran parked a block away from the warehouse to prevent attracting any attention to himself. Not that he needed to anyway, seeing as no one else was around. Loser. Sakura had slowed to a stop several yards away as she watched him, and it wasn't until he had disappeared through the large, metal doors before she decided to park where she had stopped. She waited a few minutes to make sure he wasn't going to come out and then followed him inside.

Opening the large door, she peered inside to look around. And just as she had thought, it was nearly pitch black except for the faint glints of moonlight that glared through the dusted windows, but even that wasn't enough to see. She cursed herself for coming. At the moment, it had seemed exciting, and she was all for it. But now that she thought about it, she was in no state to be 'investigating'. Honestly, who went snooping around an old smelly warehouse in a black cocktail dress and high heels?

No sooner was she going to turn around and head back to her car when she heard a sudden scuffling of feet and the whispering of male voices coming from the other side of the doors, probably away near some boxes, from the sounds of it. Sakura recognized one of the voices immediately as Syaoran's, but the other voice was new to her, deeper and huskier than Syaoran's. Was it the agent he had said he was going to meet up with? She held her breath as she pressed her ear against the door to listen, all intentions of leaving now entirely gone as her curiosity took over. What were they planning to do?

"So far, only you and I have been partaking in this investigation. No one else from HQ other than Damian knows that we've been here. And with this warehouse being located on the outskirts of the city, I doubt that anyone else will know we're here either, Syaoran."

"Well then, let's get the job done quickly so no one has to worry about us, sound good?" Syaoran said, almost lazily. "What have you found out before I arrived?" Both men's voices were dangerously low, almost as if they were expecting someone to be eavesdropping… oops.

"I found out a few clues that may be of some use. For one, there's a shed out back that didn't seem to hold anything but old tools and materials. I didn't make anything of it, so I went back into the warehouse and did some more looking around, then found a fake stone in the ground and figured it was a key. I didn't notice it right off, but when I stepped on it, it made a loud 'pang' and caught me off guard…"

Sakura's eyes widened in recognition. Was this guy talking about the same stone she had stepped on when she first arrived there with Syaoran? It was more than likely, and she never figured out what its purpose was, or what it caused. She listened more closely.

"I nearly gave up on figuring out what that stone had done, but it wasn't until I went back into the shed for the last time when I noticed the change," the guy explained. "The first time I searched the shed there was nothing but tools and materials, right? But the second time, the wall that was used to hang various chains and ropes had flipped over, revealing a set of controls. Kinda like a double door, make sense?"

How utterly fascinating. The stone Sakura had stepped on was actually a key for flipping a wall? Now she _really_ didn't want to get back to the hotel. More importantly, what were the shed controls used for?

"Interesting… Here, show me the shed so I can see for myself. We need to find out where those controls are connected…" Syaoran answered, his voice trailing off as both he and his agent friend walked towards the opposite end of the warehouse. And, taking that as her opportunity to sneak in, Sakura pulled open the giant door and slid inside, holding her dress with one hand as she tried to control the sounds of ruffling clothing against her legs.

She followed behind as quiet as a mouse and stayed hidden in the shadows. Luckily the stacked boxes shielded her from the moonlight that leaked through the windows, hiding her from view as Syaoran and the agent snooped around back at the shed. She watched through a window at the two men from afar as they talked and took into account their hand movements, the way they talked, the way Syaoran's lips moved with his words, and the shadow that passed behind the shed, cloaked in the darkness of the trees… wait, what?

Syaoran remained at the shed, looking inside as the agent walked back towards the warehouse where Sakura was hidden. Was their conversation over? Where was he going? She ducked behind a few boxes and watched as the man exited the warehouse. Now it was just her and Syaoran, what other business did he have that he wanted to stay for? Gathering up her courage, she regained her posture and made her way to the doorway leading to the 'backyard'. Maybe she would play stupid and pretend she had no idea what was going on?

"Hey Syaoran, I knew I'd find you here." She said, standing in the doorframe, the tips of her toes almost touching the blades of grass in front of her. She expected Syaoran to throw one of his famous death glares her way, which he did, but oddly enough that 'glare' turned into one of sheer horror.

"Don't move, or she dies!"

A strong arm grasped Sakura about her waist from behind while the other aimed a loaded gun to her temple. Her body froze over in terror as realization struck, and her breathing grew desperate as she felt the man's grasp around her tighten. Someone had found out that they were there, and something told her that he was hiding a secret...

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**A/N: So sorry for the short chapter, but it's just now getting to the climax and I wanted to draw things out a little bit. Usually my chapters would be longer… blah, anywho thanks for reading you guys. Again, I'm sorry for not updating in a while, but I'll be posting up a new chapter to either this fic or one of my others soon, so please, be patient. So until next time, bye! **


	9. Rescue Me

**A/N:** **Here's the next chapter. I tried to update a few days in advance, so I happened to get this chapter finished exceptionally quickly. Now things should be getting interesting, so don't give up on me yet! P Here's a quick review of the last chapter.**

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**Chapter 8:** _A Secret to Tell_

She followed behind as quiet as a mouse and stayed hidden in the shadows. Luckily the stacked boxes shielded her from the moonlight that leaked through the windows, hiding her from view as Syaoran and the agent snooped around back at the shed. She watched through a window at the two men from afar as they talked, and took into account their hand movements, the way they talked, the way Syaoran's lips moved with his words, and the shadow that passed behind the shed, cloaked in the darkness of the trees… wait, what?

Syaoran remained at the shed, looking inside as the agent walked back towards the warehouse where Sakura was hidden. Was their conversation over? Where was he going? She ducked behind a few boxes and watched as the man exited the warehouse. Now it was just her and Syaoran, what other business did he have that he wanted to stay for? Gathering up her courage, she regained her posture and made her way to the doorway leading to the 'backyard'. Maybe she would play stupid and pretend she had no idea what was going on?

"Hey Syaoran, I knew I'd find you here." She said, standing in the doorframe, the tips of her toes almost touching the blades of grass in front of her. She expected Syaoran to throw one of his famous death glares her way, which he did, but oddly enough that 'glare' turned into one of sheer horror.

"Don't move, or she dies!"

A strong arm grasped Sakura about her waist from behind while the other aimed a loaded gun to her temple. Her body froze over in terror as realization struck, and her breathing grew desperate as she felt the man's grasp around her tighten. Someone had found out that they were there, and something told her that he was hiding a secret...

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**To My Reviewers:**

**dancingwindforever:** I know, extreme, isn't it? I figured I'd slip into the more intense parts of the story now, so expect a lot more going on between Sakura and Syaoran from here on forward. Thanks for reviewing! Hopefully the chapter was fitting enough for you. 3

**cherrylove05:** Thanks a bunch! Here's your update darlin'. )

**PinkCh3rryBlossom:** XD Don't worry about it, I was still able to make out what you said… eventually lol. Thanks so much for your review, and I'm glad you like my fic. Enjoy!

**MizUnapprochable:** You'll find out in this chapter soon enough! Just keep on reading and hope for the best. Who knows, things might take a turn for the worst, or maybe they won't? Thanks for reviewing! –grin-

**Kaipanther:** You'll see, things should be heating up for Syaoran and Sakura now, seeing as they're slowly finding out more and more clues. Just read along and see for yourself what happens! ;) Thanks for reviewing, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter 9: **_Rescue Me…_

Tomoyo lay in bed with no urge to sleep. But this wasn't the only night she had stayed awake staring at the ceiling. No, she had been in this state of insomnia ever since Sakura had been 'kidnapped' by her beautiful Man-of-Mystery. Fortunately for her though, just because Sakura had been gone didn't mean she wasn't living perfectly fine on her own. Sakura's brother, Touya, would be arriving at the city in the next few days to help out with their little 'predicament'. Not that she was anxious or anything… she had unlimited resources anyway, so there was no need to panic. But she knew that it was entirely different on Sakura's end, and she had been especially careful not to let anything slip about Sakura's capture to her brother. That was the last thing she wanted. She wanted to keep things on the down low for as long as possible. Hopefully she wouldn't need to revert to extremes in order to situate everything back in order… but until then, she had no choice other than to sit back and contemplate. Sakura would be fine, she knew it. So, tucking the blanket beneath her chin, she did just that.

"Oh Sakura… hurry back…"

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"Eriol, would you mind if I went into the kitchen to fetch some more champagne? I asked for some earlier, but your butler seemed bothered by something…" Malina asked. Madison simply listened from a few feet away, twirling a lock of her hair lazily with her finger. Eriol narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"My butler, eh? Tell me, did he ever fulfill your request?" He asked, curious. Something just wasn't right about Gerry these days…

"No, not at all. He just nodded, said he'd tend to me right away, and then walked off. And the last I saw him it looked as if he was leaving for somewhere. Syaoran and Sakura seemed to leave not too earlier then he did also."

Perhaps Gerry wanted to see Sakura home safe? Or maybe he was off doing other things he wasn't supposed to be doing? Either way, something was wrong, and Eriol was going to do something about it. He had held this gathering for a reason and anybody who was anybody was at his home this night. He couldn't afford to have anything go wrong, especially when his own butler was the one behind it.

"I see… thank you, Malina, I'll be sure to have a talk with him as soon as he gets back…"

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"I mean it! One more step and I'll blow her pretty little curls through one ear and out the other."

Syaoran tried to keep calm. He wasn't sure whether he should curse Sakura in eight different languages for disobeying him, or to try his luck at the draw and try to kill this guy before he could harm her. He stuck to neither, seeing as none would serve any good in getting her to safety. The best alternative seemed to try and talk things out until he could discover a weak point.

A bead of sweat trailed its way down his temple as he thought, then decided it was best to start things slow.

"Listen, why don't you let the girl go? She has nothing to do with things going on here, leave her be."

The strange man simply chuckled and gripped Sakura closer to his broad form. His voice, his attitude, his mere smell disgusted her. But she dared not say a word when the object that could easily end her very life was mere inches away from her brain. And with that in mind, she didn't want to tick this guy off anymore then he already was. As for Syaoran, he was growing desperate and he was on the verge of toppling over his last nerve. And with the sight of Sakura moments away from shedding a tear he knew she was fighting to hold back, it made him grow even more determined to free her from this rogue.

"You haven't the slightest clue who I am, do you?" The man asked, knowing perfectly well that neither Syaoran nor Sakura knew who he was. He laughed again then gasped as if he had suddenly realized something important. "That means… you don't know who-"

A ruckus of something heavy falling onto cardboard sounded behind Sakura and her captor from inside the warehouse, signaling that another unwanted visitor was present. Now Sakura was frightened. She had no idea what was going to happen to her, and two psychos against Syaoran alone didn't give her much hope of getting out of this place safely at all. But her thoughts were interrupted when her captor aimed his pistol at Syaoran so he could glance over his shoulder to see who else had managed to sneak into the warehouse without his knowledge.

"Who's there? I've found out who's been snooping around here these past few weeks. What should we do with them?" No answer. "Boss? Hey, is that you?" Syaoran's senses were perked and ready for pick up, but with a gun aimed at him, there wasn't much he could do. He grinned. That was an understatement. As soon as the man had turned around to glance into the vast array of boxes, Syaoran noticed the sudden fault in the way he was holding his gun and knew that now would be a good time to catch him off guard. So, without a second thought, he lunged forward and kicked the gun out of his outstretched hand, pulling Sakura out of his grasp before flying down to where the gun had dropped to pick it up.

The man forgot completely about Sakura and instead, worried about his gun. He followed shortly after Syaoran lurched toward the weapon and managed to kick Syaoran onto his side in his own attempt to regain possession of the fatal object. Sakura backed up as she watched the two grown men tackle each other each in a desperate attempt to refrain from getting shot, and it wasn't until this time when she was able to take in the scene.

The man looked to be in his mid thirties and didn't look a day older. His beard was short and clean shaven and his eyebrows thick and scraggly. That alone made him look downright angry whether he was smiling or not. But it wasn't as if she would know what he looked like when he smiled, since at the moment he was wrestling on the ground with her savior for his very life. She was so busy debating on whether she should panic, that she almost didn't notice a hooded figure dash by the doorway.

Syaoran rolled over on top of the enemy, pushing the gun away from the man's grasp before reaching behind him to grab a hold of his own pistol. But before he could pull the gun from its holster, the man balled a fist and swung, hitting Syaoran straight in the jaw. Syaoran fell to the side and the man rolled over on top of him this time, managing to earn himself a few more successful punches before deciding on saying a few words.

"I've heard of you. Names get around, but who would have guessed that you would have been an undercover agent?" He howled in laughter as he glared down at Syaoran, his deep voice echoing throughout the trees and bushes around them. "I'm sure to get rewarded well once I tell my boss who I managed to kill tonight."

"And who's your boss?" Syaoran asked, trying to drag out the smallest piece of information he could before he attacked. The man aimed the gun to Syaoran's forehead, having somehow regained possession of it during their quarrel, grinning evilly.

"My boss? Why, he's-"

**BANG!**

Sakura screamed in horror and fell to her knees, shielding her face with her hands as the man's body toppled onto the ground beside Syaoran, limp and lifeless. Syaoran stood to his feet and ran into the warehouse with his pistol in hand and looked around to see who the culprit was, but only managed to catch a last second glimpse of the form escaping through the front doors. He cursed under his breath and wiped stray blood away from his brow as he turned around to face his enemy, then Sakura.

Sakura remained seated on her knees, shivering and sobbing quietly. Whether she was shivering from the cold or from fright, he figured it was a bit of both. Normally he would have yelled at her for being so wreckless, but seeing her in her current state somehow made him go soft, and he refrained from doing so. Walking over to her, he kneeled down in front of her and took in her appearance. Her legs were covered in dirt, her dress was ruined, her hair was slightly messed up, and he could faintly make out a thin line of perspiration on her arms and shoulders from having been in such a compromising situation. She was scared out of her wits, and he was surprised she wasn't wailing in tears on his shoulder.

"Sakura… come on, it's over now. I'll take you somewhere safe," he offered, grasping both her hands and lowering them from her face. He felt a pang of guilt at seeing her expression. Her face was splotchy, and her bright emerald eyes were still glistening with tears. He suddenly felt as if he should have blamed himself for all of this. But wait, it was _her_ fault for following him to begin with!

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her palm before grasping his hand and standing to her feet.

"I want to go home…"

Syaoran nodded in understanding without saying a word and thought it best to leave anyway. It wasn't safe anymore, and he needed to get her somewhere where he could check her over and let her rest. To think that he came back to the warehouse expecting things to go normal like they always did, and then have the entire night flip around with a surprise from some strange man. Come to think of it, he didn't get to know who the man was and who he was working for. He had said "Boss" earlier, so he must have been working for someone important… he couldn't have been a rogue agent, could he? Syaoran shook off the thought and decided to leave it for tomorrow. Right now, he needed to focus on Sakura and explain things to her. He needed to explain why she should follow his orders without deciding, on her own, that the right thing to do was to ignore him. She really was thick headed…

The drive to the hotel seemed to take forever… but only because it _did_ take forever. Sakura had fallen asleep as soon as she was seated in the car on their way back to the suite. Her head was reeling with questions and her heart was still beating with the same intensity as if she was still being held at gun point. But as soon as she had opened her eyes, she realized that they were no where near the hotel or the city anymore, but somewhere secluded.

Looking at the driver's seat, her nerves calmed when her eyes settled on Syaoran. He looked so serious and his hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles had turned white. She thought that he was still stressed out about what had happened and decided not to say anything about it. She would save the questions for later.

Not too long after she had woken, they pulled into the driveway of a large house. Not a huge mansion like Eriol's, but something comfortable and sweet looking. Sakura wondered why he had taken her here instead of back to the hotel but didn't have a chance to ask, for he got out of the car. He walked over to her side of the vehicle, opened the door, and offered her his hand to step out.

"You feeling okay? Come on, this is one of my summer houses, we should be fine here for the time being," he explained, helping her out of her seat. She nodded in response and followed him as he led her up the driveway to the front door. His home looked similar to her house back in Japan, and just the look of it made her feel right at ease. "This way, let's go to the living room." Syaoran said, gently grasping her upper arm and leading her to another room.

"Syaoran… I'm sorry." Was the first thing she managed to say as soon as she sat down on the black leather sofa. She knew she had to start somewhere, and she might as well start out with an apology. Syaoran had left the room and had come back with a First-Aid Kit in hand, and when she said she was sorry, he simply arched an eyebrow at her and kneeled down, opening the box before her on the floor.

"Sorry for what? You only ignored my orders at staying with Eriol, where it was _safe_, somehow managed to get to the warehouse without a map, then almost get shot by some lunatic who ended up getting shot in the head himself. Nah, you have nothing to be sorry for."

Wow… way to make her feel even worse. She sunk back into the sofa cushions at his words, and she knew he was right. He had said that he wanted her to stay behind so he wouldn't have to worry about her, but he ended up having to anyway as a result… She felt like scum. Syaoran caught sight of her hurt expression and made a mental note not to make her feel any worse for the rest of the night, she had obviously just gone through something traumatic and she was better off without him nagging her about her own mistakes. He sighed in resignation and ran a hand through his hair.

"Gah, I'm sorry about that," he said, trying not to sound too soft, "What I mean to say is… be more careful, alright? Now lean forward, I need to wash up your face a little…" She did as he had asked and sat forward on the couch, folding her hands in her lap as she watched him wet a piece of cotton with water from a small bowl, and then waited patiently as he rubbed the dirt off her forehead. He may look rugged and his hands may have been calloused, like a mans hands should be, but they were surprisingly gentle with how carefully he wiped the excess filth off her skin.

…So careful…

She hardly noticed that she was watching him so closely until his eyes focused on hers.

"Ah yeah, to be careful, right? Yes, I'll do that." She blurted out, catching her mistake and diverting her gaze to a more interesting part of her dress. Syaoran didn't catch this, but instead felt obligated to explain himself further.

"Sakura, look at me," He rested his finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up towards his, staring into her eyes to hold her attention. "There's a reason why I ask you to do certain things, and it's not because I like bossing you around, but because I don't want you getting hurt. Do you understand?" Wow, was he seriously being _nice_ to her? Since when did he feel this compulsive need to coax her and make her feel better? Blah, he really was being changed by this girl. But what was scarier was the fact that perhaps, just maybe, he… didn't mind it. She smiled in understanding and nodded, diverting her gaze elsewhere, yet again. For some reason, staring into his eyes made her feel uneasy… and she didn't like the feeling of being helpless.

"Yeah… I understand. Thank you." She replied in just above a whisper. All this bonding stuff was making her queasy and unbearably shy. She could have sworn she could almost feel a blush creep into her cheeks… almost.

Syaoran smiled, but this time not with his lips, but with both his lips and eyes. The emotions he felt when she was at gun point mere moments away from death were emotions he had almost forgot he had already felt once before… '_Thank you…'_ Her words echoed through his mind long after she had said them, and before he could control what he was doing, he leaned forward and brushed his lips ever so gently across hers. So feather-like was it, it seemed as if he pressed any harder she would crumble and dissolve into vapors before him.

Sakura inhaled sharply in surprise and her eyes widened to that of their full extent as he kissed her. Was he really? Her head hurt enough as it was with all the questions from before still reeling around in circles in her mind, but now this… this was one too many to handle at once.

_Smack_

Silence followed the faint echo of flesh against flesh, and tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as she brought her hand to her mouth, almost not believing that she had slapped him. But it was too late to take it back now, so she decided to make the best of it… but no one ever said she had to do it without crying. Her face scrunched up in a frown as tears from both eyes dropped onto her pale cheeks.

"How dare you take advantage of me in this state? How could you think it's right to do something like that? How… how could you…" And without further warning, she bolted from the sofa and ran up the stairs, alone, with nothing but the faint sound of the door slamming shut. Syaoran knew then that she had escaped to the sanctuary of an empty bedroom. She had slapped him, yet he couldn't do anything except remain kneeled in utter shock. Bringing up a hand, he rubbed the cheek where her palm had struck. She was right… he had taken advantage of her while she was vulnerable; while she was weak… he had no right to do so. But he couldn't help but wonder whether he had kissed her to take advantage, or because he really wanted to. Either way it would be best to just forget about it, and he would be sure not to let it happen again.

Standing up from the carpet, he wadded the piece of cotton in his hand and closed the First-Aid Kit with the other, before replacing the kit in its rightful place. His only use for Sakura was for a distraction, nothing more. And he would be damned if he was going to let himself fall for her, he wouldn't allow it. He should let her go, to let her leave now to keep her out of harms way. But alas, she already knew too much and it would be risking his job to let her free. Yes, it did seem as if she was his hostage, but until his mission was finished she was going to remain that and abide by his rules. Under no circumstances was he going to leave himself open like he had done just now. If there was a crack, there was a weak point, and the last thing Syaoran needed was to fall for the girl. So, a hostage she was, and a hostage she was going to stay.

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Sakura stared at the wall in wonder. She had finished sobbing to herself a long time ago and was now thinking about what had happened. Syaoran had kissed her, and she had reacted violently in return. She bit her lip regrettably. Sure it may have been drastic, but there were so many things to consider for at the time. She had been vulnerable and open to anything, and he knew it. He should have thought before acting… because now she felt like a fool.

Rolling over onto her other side, she stared wide-eyed into the dark, empty room. She could hear him scuffling downstairs, and she could faintly make out his footsteps as he made his way upstairs to his room. She knew she had to apologize for her actions, but it was too awkward to say she was sorry now. Then an idea struck. What if she were to leave, right this moment? She was pretty sure that, considering the situation, he had probably forgotten about keeping her with him against her will. Hell, he didn't even lock her bedroom door before he went to bed. Now was the perfect opportunity.

Sliding off of the mattress, she quietly made her way to the bedroom door and peeked out into the hall. She had thrown herself onto the bed in her misery, completely ignoring the fact that she was still in her clothes from the party… not that she had anything to change into anyway, so she needn't worry about changing clothes in order to make her escape. She just wanted to get out of there, and fast.

Syaoran wasn't in the hall, just as she had suspected after hearing him enter his room. And she was afraid that if she waited around any longer, he would catch her red-handed., so she wasted no time in slipping out of the bedroom and tiptoeing down the hall to the staircase. Syaoran's room was right beside the banister, so she was careful to descend down the stairs lightly to refrain from making any sort of sounds. The taste of freedom was just within reach now. And she knew that if she did this, she would rid him of her hassles and he would be free to complete his mission without having to bother with her anymore. She walked across the tile to the front door, holding her high heels in her hand. So close…

She reached for the handle and was about to grasp it when…

"And where exactly do you think you're going?"

Busted...

Sakura's heart nearly lurched to her throat at the sound of his voice. She had made sure that she was quiet, how was he able to notice? Also… how was he able to sneak up behind her without having heard him? She hit herself mentally. Duh, he was an agent; 'stealth' was his middle name. She turned around and faced him. Was there even any need to explain?

"You know, I actually find it kinda funny that you think you can slip past me when you think I'm not expecting it," he continued, inching towards her. "First of all, you have no idea where we are. How would you find your way back to the city?" Pfft, he had won that battle. She had decided to leave without even thinking about how she was going to go… ah crap. She forgot Gerry's car back at the warehouse. He was going to get pissed.

"I was just going outside to get a breath of fresh air, what's it to you?" Good one. That excuse was hopefully capable of holding her off for another moment or two. "Besides, I thought you were in bed."

"In bed? Not likely."

It was late into the night now and from the looks of it, it was probably closer to 1 o' clock in the morning. The moonlight leaked in through the windows, displaying fluorescent shadows onto the wooden floors throughout the room. Sakura was partly relieved that no lights were on. The last thing she wanted was for Syaoran to see how embarrassed she was.

The more the silence lingered between them, the more the situation grew awkward, and Sakura wasn't in the mood for another round of embarrassment that evening.

"Fine then, I'll go back upstairs and open a window instead. Good night." She said, walking past him in a hurry to secure herself in the privacy of her bedroom.

"Sakura, wait… we need to talk." He called out to her, staring at her back as she stopped in mid-step.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Oh, but I think there is. What happened earlier was entirely uncalled for on my part and I apologize on behalf of my actions."

"Very well then, you've made your point clear. Can I leave for my room now?"

"No, there's more I need to say…"

Why was she still being so cold towards him? He had openly apologized for the kiss they shared, she should at least be more kind to him now… but it wasn't until after he finished his speech when she decided that she would have much rather escaped through a pit of molting hot lava than have to stand before him and listen through his rant.

"I just wanted to let you know that the kiss we had, will never happen again. I realized that I've kept you by my side for a reason, and until I've finished with all I've worked for, you're going to remain my accomplice. Afterwards, you'll be free to leave and we'll never see each other again." Syaoran slid his fists into his pockets and stepped past her, making his way up the stairs without another word to the matter. How was it so easy for him to say such expressive things without showing the slightest bit of emotion?

Sakura followed up the stairs behind him to her room. Fine, things were settled then. All she needed to do was follow as he asked, and things would hopefully be done before she knew it. He'd finish his mission, and she'd be able to get back to Tomoyo and fly back home. But hadn't he said that she would have to remain his accomplice? Surely he must've meant that she would remain his distraction until things were settled, which was perfectly fine with her, but it was too much for her to pretend to be something else. Sure, it had hurt when Syaoran had said that they would never share another kiss again. But the question was, why did it hurt? If she wanted his affection, she wouldn't have slapped him to begin with, yet why did she feel obligated to cry in his lap and beg for him to… to love her? She shook the thought away and slid fully clothed, back into bed. So many things were happening in such a short amount of time, maybe these irrational thoughts were just figments her brain decided to conjure up in its attempt to piece her thoughts back together. Yeah, that must've been it. Maybe once she got some sleep, the entire situation would blow over and she'd be fine… hopefully.

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The next morning was tense. Breakfast went by slower than expected, and in unbearable silence. The drive back to the hotel was even worse, neither Syaoran nor Sakura even wanted to listen to the radio. So much for the situation blowing over… But the mood changed as soon as they reached the hotel suite. As soon as Syaoran had unlocked the door, the both of them jumped in surprise when they noticed Eriol sitting, rather comfortably, on the sofa watching television. How had he gotten in?

"Well, what a pleasant surprise, friend. What are you doing here lounging on _my_ couch?" Syaoran greeted him, closing the door behind Sakura after she entered the room. Eriol flicked the screen off and stood up, wide and tall in all his glory. He really did look intimidating when he wasn't in a suit…

"I just thought I'd wait till you two got back from your rendezvous. Why, it isn't a problem is it?"

How did he even know they were coming back that day anyhow? Syaoran raised an eyebrow and reached for the door again.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Hiiragizawa, but we're busy right now. Call here later." Syaoran said, swinging the door open for him to leave. Eriol simply chuckled.

"I'm not leaving Li, I need to know why you left my party so rudely yesterday. You didn't even say good-bye." He said, faking depression as he took a few more steps towards them. "I assume you had a nice evening, Sakura?" He continued, clasping her hand in his before kissing its backside softly.

"Oh yes, a wonderful evening, thank you." Lie.

"That's good to hear, I was hoping Syaoran wouldn't give you much of a hard time anyway. So tell me, where did the both of you go last night?" Syaoran gritted his teeth. Where they had gone wasn't the least bit important and he surely didn't need to tell Eriol about it.

"Out," he replied.

"Fine then, I won't trouble you with questions. I mainly came to find out if either of you have seen Gerry," Eriol glanced at Sakura and said; "Apparently he's been missing since last night and hasn't come back since. I'm starting to get suspicious of my butler, but I can't seem to put my finger on what it is that's bothering me…"

A sudden image of what seemed to be a wig popped into Sakura's head, and another of Gerry snooping through the rooms earlier before when she had first started working with Eriol. Indeed, it all seemed a bit unusual, but how did it all tie in together?

"Maybe he's an imposter?" Sakura blurted out, expressing her thoughts in words before she could think. But now that she had heard herself say it, it didn't seem all as crazy as it had sounded in her head. "Yeah, maybe he's an imposter… I did catch him in a few compromising situations. But I liked him so much, I figured it wasn't anything to fret over."

Eriol's eyes widened in realization, but his expression softened almost immediately after, as if he didn't want to trouble Sakura with anymore of his problems.

"Perhaps you're right… if he comes back, I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him. Hopefully he didn't find anything of…" he caught himself and attempted to move on to a more suitable topic, "…extreme value. No matter though, I'll deal with this as best I can. Other then that though…" Eriol slid past the two and helped himself to the door. "I'll be expecting you at the manor today by noon, Sakura. See you then." And with that, he left. What peculiar behavior… But then again, everyone she had encountered lately had been having strange behavior, including herself.

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**A/N: End of this chapter! Poor Saku… wait no, poor Syaoran! Things are so hard for the both of them right now, it's almost a shame to have to see the chapter end like that. Suppose things will turn out better later on? And who was the other mystery man that had killed Syaoran's attacker? A bit obvious, is it not? Or maybe it's someone else? Oh well, until next time. Ja ne! **


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